Harry Potter and the FiWizardTournament
by Tigerflesh
Summary: Hogwarts is participating in the Triwizard Tournament. But something about this year's competition is different, new. This year, a fourth school will participate. How will the students of Silvergates affect the outcome of the Tournament? And Harry?
1. Prologue

Prologue

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She fell to the floor, her body trembling in the shadows while her senses flooded with fear. What was she going to do? The boy was dead, and because of her. She had made a stupid mistake and gotten another person killed. Now, everything around her seemed to disappear. She couldn't even imagine just how much trouble she was going to be in, or what rumors had already spread throughout the school. She wouldn't be allowed to stay, and her family wouldn't want her, not after they discovered how the boy died. Rowena, the sister that she had always loved and hoped to please, would never forgive her. Now, she no longer had anything, or anyone to turn to.

She looked up when she heard footsteps. Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar person step in the room. She had long, wavy black hair that escalated down her back, and piercing blue eyes. The blue eyes that had always been filled with cold logic – and often a sense of superiority because of that knowledge – now held now warmth at all. Where she had once smiled and shown her younger sister a love and pride when they were alone – because her sister was smart, too, even if her brain worked differently than that of her older sister – they were now filled with a cold, daring accusation, one that the younger girl trembled underneath.

"Rowena," the younger girl stuttered, her voice trembling with fear. "Help me."

"What are you doing here?" her sister demanded. Without giving her sister the chance to defend herself, she snapped forcefully, "I heard what happened. Tell me it isn't true. Tell me you didn't cause that snake to attack that boy!"

"_I don't know!_" the younger girl cried, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed at her head and lowered it as she screamed, "I don't know how it happened! He was teasing me and… and…" She stopped, finding that she couldn't get the words out.

Her sister shook her head, holding a hand up and silencing her sister immediately. "I always thought that it was weird when Salazar spoke in that language, but to have my own _sister_ be a Parstlemouth, as well? I don't understand it." Her dark eyes remained narrowed as she looked at her sister in disbelief, and something that resembled envy. "We share the same blood. How is it that my sister can talk to snakes when I can't? I have spent my entire life devoting my energy and mind to learning, and yet my younger sister – a _First_ Year – has somehow surpassed me in an area that I can barely even comprehend. I tolerated it when Salazar spoke to snakes, but to have my own sister – the youngest of the Pure clan of Ravenclaw – have such an impure ability? It's a disgrace. _How do you do it?_" she yelled, her voice so forceful that it caused her sister to flinch.

"_I don't know!_" she cried, burying her head in her hands. "I don't know! I didn't mean to do it!"

Her sister narrowed her eyes in obvious disapproval. "So you _did_ do it," she said in a dark voice as she took a step back, her eyes filled with a condescending disgust. "You'll be expelled for this. You know that, right?" she asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

She looked up from her hands, her face wet with tears. "Yes. Please, Rowena, help me." She looked up at her sister, her eyes swimming with tears and filled with desperation. She wanted someone to be there for her, to help her and to tell her that everything would be all right. Sadly, her sister's eyes showed no sign of caring about her younger sister any longer.

Her sister turned away and held a hand up. Her voice was detached, lacking all warmth as she responded, "You did this, sister. You dealt your own mess; you can deal with it on your own." With that she walked away, not stopping even once to look back.

"Wait!" she cried, wanting her sister to be there for her more than ever, and feeling more alone than ever. "Rowena, stop!" she cried, her voice shaking in panic and horror. Finally, Rowena was gone altogether, and she was left in the dark room alone, feeling more alone and afraid than ever.

"Hey, who's in there?" a familiar voice demanded.

She looked up and felt fear rush through her as a boy stepped into the room. She had to blink several times before the tears ran aside long enough for her to recognize him. She barely saw his face, except for the few traces of light that seeped into the room. She swallowed hard as she recognized the sixth year, his long, sleek blonde hair trailing down his back and contrasting with his pale white skin and his black cloak.

"Who hides in the old Rothforth dormitory?" the boy demanded as he walked over. He looked down at her and blinked in surprise. "Rona, it's you. I'm sorry for being so rude, I'm just surprised." He looked briefly over his shoulder before looking back at her and saying, "I just saw Rowena outside, which surprised me because she belongs to the Blackhawk House." He hesitated, looking confused as he glanced in each direction. "What are _you_ doing here? You may be in Rothforth, but you've never shown any interest in this room before now."

"I, I killed him, Salazar," Rona cried, finding it more and more difficult to put words together. "He, he's dead."

Salazar frowned, growing silent for a moment before he asked knowingly, "The Fifth Year?" Rona immediately began to cry again. Salazar narrowed his eyes in serious thought as he commented, "I heard he was found in the forest, a snake by his body and fang marks in his neck. I also heard that you were found near the sight, crying." He pulled a wand out from his back pocket and held it out to her. "I found this on the ground, not far from where the body was found. I believe it's yours."

Rona closed her eyes, attempting to stop the tears. In spite of her efforts, they continued to come. "How did it happen?" she stammered as she shook her head. "I was so angry at him for making fun of me, and then the snake came and I willed for him to feel hurt, for him to suffer the way he had made me suffer. And then… the snake… it leapt at him and…"

Salazar nodded. "I understand, Rona," he said quietly, his voice soft and filled with understanding. When Rona looked up at him, she saw that there was warmth in his eyes; a warmth that filled her completely, and made her feel slightly less alone. He smiled slightly as he shook his head and insisted, "You don't have to explain it to me. Remember, I'm a Parstlemouth, as well. I understand what it's like to bear the weight of this gift. I may be three years older than you and in the same class as Rowena, and she may be my friend, but I understand what you're going through better than anyone. Multiple times in the past, events have occurred where people have gotten hurt because of me and my anger."

Rona swallowed hard, blinking away the tears. "I really didn't mean for him to die."

Salazar nodded. "I know, Rona, and just because this has happened, it doesn't mean that you're a bad witch. Believe me, I should know better than anyone."

"But what am I going to do now?" Rona asked, shaking her head in confusion. "They'll take away my wand for this and expel me. What can I do? What am I supposed to do, now that I'll no longer be able to practice magic?"

Salazar nodded again, responding simply, "You probably _will_ be expelled, and they probably _will_ take your wand away, at least for a little while. But, Rona, listen to me, you'll get past this." She looked up at Salazar in surprise, not having expected to hear the gentle tone in his voice, or to see the sympathy and understanding in his eyes as he spoke. "These events only prove to me that you're an incredible witch, incredible of great power that most people can't even imagine. I know what it's like to have that kind of power, so I know how much you can do with that power. We're the only two Parstlemouths in the school, but you're not alone, Rona. I can help you find a way to fully access your magic, and to make you stronger, if you want me to." He took her hand in his, his touch gentle as he insisted, "When the time comes that you can use magic again, I'll be there to help you grow stronger. For now, gain as much knowledge about magic as you can." His eyes filled with confidence and pride as he added, "When the day comes that we train together, I promise that I will help you become the best witch you can be, and the most powerful witch in the world."


	2. A Change of a Lifetime

Not a Chapter - A Change of A lifetime

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_Daily Prophet_

*Special Edition*

A Change of A lifetime!

* * *

Never before has it happened! Never before has the Triwizard Tournament been changed. For hundreds of years the Tournament has remained only being held by Hogwarts of London, Beauxbatons of France, and Durmstrang of Bulgaria. However, this year a new face has seen to appear in the Triwizard Tournament. Silvergates, the renowned American school of witchcraft and wizardry has seen fit to get a foot inside the lion's den, so to speak, and has been granted the opportunity to participate in this year's tournament.

The headmaster of Silvergates, Gregor Slater, claims, "We may be three thousand miles away, and we may be American, but we still have the right to show what we can do. Silvergates has enough promising young witches and wizards that it can only prove to be good for the Tournament."

Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of Department of Magical Games and Sports, was reluctant, however, to allow this school to participate in the legendary event. "For hundreds of years – since it was first established – the Triwizard Tournament has consisted of three schools. Three. That's the whole point of the tournament, for three schools to meet, for three champions to compete in three tasks. By adding one school and one champion, we completely throw off what has already been established and perfected. To go in and change something so monumental could only end in catastrophe for the schools and for our traditions."

Professor Slater, however, responds to this claim by saying, "Now that we are in the twenty-first century, it's time that while we may stick to the traditions and principals that we've based our schools and the wizarding community off of, we need to progress into the twenty-first century. It is time that we take another part of history and create history once again."

The Ministry of Magic and Department of Magical Games and Sports was prepared to deny Professor Slater this honor, but when two of the three Headmasters of the participating schools gave their consent, Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, reluctantly gave his consent.

Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, said to the Ministry, "Professor Slater is an honest man who has my support in this matter. I do believe that it is a good idea to move as the times do."

Igor Karkaroff, Headmaster of Durmstrang, claims, "I also give my consent to this matter in the favor of Silvergates' Headmaster. However, this would only a good idea as a test run, a trial. If it does prove fruitful to the Tournament, then there shouldn't be any reason not to include Silvergates in future Tournaments. However, they must show to be as promising and as consistent as the current competitors."

Cornelius Fudge then said to reporters, "If Silvergates can indeed successfully compete in the Tournament without any complications or failures, then they may continue to participate in the future. This is truly a once in a lifetime experience for all witches and wizards, and this year, we will be making history for all. Only the future can tell us if this is truly a wise decision, but as the Minister of Magic, I ensure that every precaution will be taken to ensure that every student, teacher, and school will be given the utmost respect, security, and opportunity that they deserve to ensure a safe and prosperous Tournament. Nothing will go wrong, and this will truly become the greatest Tournament in the history of the TriWizard Tournament."

So will Silvergates, the alleged and renowned American school of wizardry hold their own and up to the standards of the Triwizard Tournament, and stand a chance against three schools who have done this for several thousand years? Or will Professor Slater's school be tainted with the red blood of embarrassment at failure in such a monumental Tournament?

* * *

A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	3. Chapter 1: The Fourth School

A/N: Okay, just as a warning, I've gone through all that I can for tonight and changed the "Rora" to "Rona" because I somehow absentmindedly began to write the name as "Rona" along the way, and after three stories, it's easier to go back and change the few chapters that I wrote it as "Rora" in. I'm trying, but for those who read until I've changed them all and corrected all of the spelling/grammar mistakes that I made, please bear with me.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter One: The Fourth School

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"Come on!" Ginny laughed as she ran down beside the group. "I just heard someone say that they the Beauxbatons people arriving. Besides, the signs tell us to head over to the Great Hall now, anyway."

"We're coming, we're coming," Hermione laughed.

There had been a pleasant feeling of anticipating in the air that day. Nobody was very attentive in lessons, being much more interested in the arrival that evening of the people from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Even Potions was more bearable than usual, as it was half an hour shorter. When the bell rang early, Harry, Ron and Hermione hurried up to Gryffindor Tower, deposited their bags and books as they had been instructed, pulled on their cloaks, and rushed back downstairs into the entrance hall.

The Heads of the Houses were ordering their students into lines. Harry barely heard Professor McGonagall snapping out orders to the students when he heard Hermione whisper from in front of him, "The new school participating, Silvergates, is coming three thousand miles away from America! Fascinating! For the first time in history, the TriWizard Tournament will have four champions!"

"Shouldn't be surprised that you went and studied up on the enemy," Ron half-joked.

Hermione glared at Ron. "You narrow-minded nitwit! They're not our _enemies!_ The whole point of this competition is for schools from around the world to get together and communicate, showing decorum and hospitality while making international friends and allies! So if you go and make things rough for any of the other schools for no reason, so help me there's going to be a spider the size of your house on your pillow, Ronald Weasley!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably at the astounded look on Ron's face as he couldn't almost see the huge spider that haunted his dreams.

"Miss Granger," Professor McGonagall said in a warning tone, and Hermione instantly fell silent. Harry looked up and saw Professor McGonagall staring at them. "Enough. Follow me, please. First years in the front….No pushing…"

They filed down the steps and lined up in front of the castle. It was cold, clear evening; dusky was falling and a pale transparent looking moon was already shining over the Forbidden Forest. Harry, standing between Ron and Hermione in the fourth row from the front, saw Dennis Creevey positively shivering with anticipation among the other first years.

"Nearly six," said Ron, checking his watch and then staring down the drive that led to the front gates. "How d'you reckon they're coming? The train?"

"I doubt it," said Hermione.

"How then? Broomsticks?" Harry suggested, looking up at the starry sky.

"I don't think so… not from that far away…"

"A Portkey?" Ron suggested. "Or they could Apparate… maybe you're allowed to do it under seventeen wherever they come from."

"You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds; how often do I have to tell you?" said Hermione impatiently.

They waited patiently, everyone feeling the excitement in the air as they anticipated the arrival of their visitors.

Then Dumbledore's voice suddenly called out from the back row where he stood with the other teachers.

"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" said many students eagerly, all looking in different directions.

"There!" yelled a sixth year, pointing over the forest.

Something large, much larger than a broomstick, or indeed a hundred broomsticks, as hurtling across the deep blue sky toward the castle, growing larger all the time.

"It's a dragon!" shrieked one of the first years, losing her head completely.

"Don't be stupid… it's a flying house!" exclaimed Dennis Creevey.

Dennis's guess was closer… as the gigantic black shape skimmed over the treetops of the Forbidden Forest and the lights shining from the castle windows hit it, they saw a gigantic, powder-blue, horse-drawn carriage, the size of a large house, soaring toward them, pulled through the air by a dozen winged horses, all palominos, and each the size of an elephant.

The front three rows of students drew backward as the carriage hurtled ever lower, coming in to land at tremendous speed, then, with an almighty crash that made Neville jump backward onto a Slytherin fifth year's foot, the horses' hooves, larger than dinner plates, hit the ground. A second later, the carriage landed too, bouncing upon its vast wheels, while the golden horses tossed their enormous heads and rolled large, fiery red eyes.

Harry just had time to see that the door of the carriage bore a coat of arms (two crossed, golden wands, each emitting three stars) before it opened.

A boy in pale blue robes jumped down from the carriage, bent forward, fumbled for a moment with something on the carriage floor, and unfolded a set of golden steps. He sprang back respectfully. Then Harry saw a shining, high-heeled black shoe emerging from the inside of the carriage, a show the size of a child's sled, followed almost immediately by the largest woman he had ever seen in his life. The size of the carriage, and of the horses, was immediately explained. A few people gasped.

Harry had only ever seen one person as large as this woman in his life, and that was Hagrid. He doubted whether there was in an inch difference in their heights. Yet somehow, maybe simply because he was used to Hagrid, this woman seemed even more unnaturally large. As she stepped into the light flooding from the entrance hall, she was revealed to have a handsome, olive-skinned face. Large, black, liquid-looking eyes, and a rather beaky nose. Her hair was drawn back in a shining knob at the base of her neck. She was dressed from head to foot in black satin, and many magnificent opals gleamed at her throat and on her thick fingers.

Dumbledore started to clap; the students, following his lead, broke into applause too, many of them standing on tiptoe, the better to look at this woman. Her face relaxed into a gracious smile and she walked forward toward Dumbledore, extending a glittering hand. Dumbledore, though tall himself, had barely to bend to kiss it.

"My dear Madame Maxime," he said. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

"Dumbly-dorr," said Madame Maxime said in a deep voice. "I 'ope I find you well?"

"In excellent form, I thank you," said Dumbledore.

"My pupils," said Madame Maxime, waving one of her enormous hands carelessly behind her.

Harry, whose attention had been focused completely Madame Maxime, now noticed that about a dozen boys and girls, all, by the look of them, in their late teens, had emerged from the carriage and were now standing behind Madame Maxime. They were shivering, which was unsurprising, given that their robes seemed to be made of fine silk, and none of them were wearing cloaks. A few had wrapped scarves and shawls around their heads. From what Harry could see of them (they were standing in Madame Maxime's enormous shadow) they were staring up at Hogwarts with apprehensive looks on their faces.

"'As Karkaroff arrived yet?" Madame Maxime asked.

"He should be here any moment," said Dumbledore.

"And Slater?" Madame Maxime asked more skeptically.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not yet. Would you like to wait here and greet them, or would you prefer to step inside and warm up a trifle?"

"Warm up, I think," said Madame Maxime. "But ze 'orses…"

"Slater?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione in surprise.

"Gregor Slater, the Headmaster of Silvergates," Hermione explained, looking excited and intrigued. "From everything I've read, he's a very strict and powerful American wizard. He's said to be one of the strongest wizards in America, making him a perfect candidate for Headmaster. He pulled a lot of strings and had to pull a lot of arms and legs to prove that Silvergates deserved a chance to participate in the TriWizard Tournament. I read that he claimed to have some of the strongest teenage witches and wizards in the age and claimed that America had every right to show their strength and for allies with Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, as well." She looked puzzled. "Silvergates is actually not that much younger than Hogwarts, only about twenty years. I read somewhere that the school was actually built in England, but it was then shipped over brick-by-brick to a property that one of the founders inherited long before America was actually founded. Students from all over the world were sent there, students from the best elite families all across the world. Eventually, they opened their doors to over two hundred and fifty students each year, each of whom had to be invited by personal invitation. It's even more exclusive than Hogwarts. I think I also read that Slater is some distant relative of Dumbledore's."

"Really?" Harry exclaimed in surprise.

Hermione nodded. "I guess Madame Maxime was really opposed to letting someone else in, as was Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman. But Karkaroff gave Slater a huge compliment and recommendation, as did Dumbledore."

"So how is Slater related to Dumbledore?" Ron asked curiously. "It's no surprise that with him as a relative that Slater is so good."

Hermione frowned. "I think that he's Dumbledore's nephew, his sister's son. I'm not sure how it happened, but I believe Dumbledore's sister is dead."

"That's rough," Ron commented, looking somewhat unnerved by this news. "To have your sister's son alive in your home grounds when your sister isn't there anymore."

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

"The lake!" yelled Lee Jordan, pointing down at it. "Look at the lake!"

From their position at the top of the lawns overlooking the grounds, they had clear view of the smooth black surface of the water, except that the surface was suddenly not smooth at all. Some disturbance was taking place deep in the center; great bubbles were forming on the surface, waves were now washing over the muddy banks. And then, out in the very middle of the lake, a whirlpool appeared, as if a giant plug had just been pulled out of the lake's floor…

What seemed to be a long, black pole began to rise slowly out of the heart of the whirlpool… and then Harry saw the rigging… "It's a mast!" he said to Ron and Hermione.

Slowly, magnificently, the ship rose out of the water, gleaming in the moonlight. It had a strangely skeletal look about it, as though it were a resurrected wreck, and the dim, misty lights shimmering at its portholes looked like ghostly eyes. Finally, with a great sloshing noise, the ship emerged entirely, bobbing on the turbulent water, and began to glide toward the bank. A few moments later, they heard the splash of an anchor being thrown down in the shallows, and the thud of a plank being lowered onto the bank.

People were disembarking. They could see their silhouettes passing the lights in the ship's portholes. All of them, Harry noticed, seemed to be built along the lines of Crabbe and Goyle. But then, as they drew nearer, walking up the lawns into the light streaming from the entrance hall, he saw that their bulk was really due to the fact that they were wearing cloaks of some kind of shaggy, matted fur. But the man who was leading them up to the castle was wearing furs of a different sort: sleek and silver, like his hair.

"Dumbledore!" he called heartily as he walked up the slope. "How are you, my dear fellow, how are you?"

"Blooming, thank you, Professor Karkaroff," Dumbledore replied.

Karkaroff had a fruity, unctuous voice. When he stepped into the light pouring from the front of the castle they saw that he was tall and thin like Dumbledore, but his white hair was short, and his goatee did not entirely hide his rather weak chin. When he reached Dumbledore, he shook hands with both of his own.

"Dear old Hogwarts," he said, looking up at the castle and smiling. His teeth were rather yellow, and Harry noticed that his smile did not extend to his eyes, which remained cold and shrewd. "How good it is to be here, how good… Viktor, come along, into the warmth… you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold…"

Karkaroff beckoned forward one of his students. As the boy passed, Harry caught a glimpse of a prominent curved nose and thick black eyebrows. He didn't need the punch on the arm Ron gave him, or the hiss in his ear, to recognize that profile.

"Harry, it's Krum! I don't believe it!" Ron said, in a stunned voice, as the Hogwarts student filed back up the steps behind the party from Durmstrang. "Krum, Harry! Viktor Krum!"

"For heaven's sake, Ron, he's only a Quidditch player," said Hermione.

"Only a Quidditch player?" Ron said, looking at her as though he couldn't believe his ears. "Hermione, he's one of the best Seekers in the world! I had no idea that he was still in school!"

As they crossed the entrance hall with the rest of the Hogwarts students heading for the Great Hall, Harry saw Lee Jordan jumping up and down on the soles of his feet to get a better look at the back of Krum's head. Several sixth-year girls were frantically searching their pockets as they walked.

"Oh, good grief," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Not at all," Dumbledore said to Karkaroff. "But we must wait for Slater."

Karkaroff smiled. "Ah, of course, the famous Slater. Yes, of course. I'm quite looking forward to seeing Gregor again, myself. I haven't seen him since we attended Hogwarts together as students, both of us in Slytherin."

"So that's why he gave him such a huge recommendation," Hermione said, nodding in understanding. "They went to school with one another."

"What's that noise?" Ron asked, frowning.

Harry turned his head and realized that Ron was right. He could hear a loud, rumbling and thundering noise. His eyes narrowed when he saw a light begin to rise in the distant sky. It seemed to come down like a wave, but descending slowly.

"What on earth is _that?_" George asked from beside them, Fred standing beside him.

"That must be the Silvergates group," Hermione said brightly, looking excited for the first time.

Sure enough, standing on a dark wave of wind, stood a dozen girls and boys, their arms folded and wands in their hands. At the head of the students however, stood a man who appeared to be the same age as Karkaroff. He had sleek brown hair and as he stepped off of what appeared to be a streak of wind, Harry saw that he had piercing blue eyes, just like Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled as the man stepped off of the wind. "Gregor, long time, no see."

Slater smiled at Dumbledore and embraced him in a hug. "Uncle! Indeed, it has been too long. However, I am glad that our two schools are finally allowed to see one another in such a manner as this."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said, nodding. "A little competition is always good for the soul; and as I remember, that was your credo when you attended Hogwarts."

Gregor merely chuckled.

"Holy cricket!" Harry heard George gasp from beside him.

"What?" Harry asked, looking at George, and he saw in surprise that George was staring at the students from Silvergates with wide, intent eyes. "Who are you looking at?"

"Those girls!" George said, nodding to two girls.

Harry looked at the girls George was referring to and looked closely at them. Of the twelve kids from Silvergates, only two were girls. One had black, shiny hair that glimmered in the moonlight. The second girl had long, shiny brown hair that escaladed down her back. The first girl had darker skin, and like her friend, wore a black cloak. However, the first girl had a blue and white wolf on her back, while the second girl had a silver and green snake on the back of hers.

"Damn," George said, his eyes fixated on the first girl. "Wonder who they are."

"Wow," Ron laughed. "Is it actually possible that my brother _likes _a girl?"

George didn't even seem to notice Ron's comment. He seemed too fixated on the girls, who were looking around and muttering something with curiosity and interest in their eyes.

Slater turned and smiled at Karkaroff. "Igor, my old friend, hello."

Dumbledore nodded. "Well, now that we're all here, we can move into the Great Hall for supper and commence with the ceremonies. I'm sure you'll all want to get out of this cold."

Slater looked around and smiled. "Dear old Hogwarts, how I've missed thee. Actually, the weather here isn't that much different from what we have back in America. We came in our cloaks, prepared for the cold."

"Good decision."

So the three schools headed into the school and into the Great Hall, Harry, Hermione and Ron in the middle of the Hogwarts pack. They walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Ron took care to sit on the side facing the doorway, because Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students were still gathered around it, apparently unsure about where they should sit. The students from Beauxbatons had chosen seats at the Ravenclaw table. They were looking around the Great Hall with glum expressions on their faces. Three of them were still clutching scarves and shawls around their heads.

"It's not _that_ cold," said Hermione defensively. "Why didn't they bring cloaks? Well, at least the Silvergates lot had more sense."

Sure enough, the Silvergates students were all wearing sleek black cloaks, each with one of five symbols on the back. One was a white and blue wolf, one was a green and silver snake, one was a maroon and silver raven, one was a gold and black tiger and the last was of a white horse with blue eyes.

"Over here! Come sit down over here!" Ron hissed. "Over here! Hermione, budge up, make a space…"

"What?"

"Too late," Ron said bitterly.

Viktor Krum and his fellow Durmstrang students had settled themselves at the Slytherin table. Harry could see Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle looking very smug about this. As he watched, Malfoy bent forward to speak to Krum. As Ron went on, muttering to himself about how Malfoy was sucking up to Krum, Ron saw the two Silvergates girls looking around and muttering to themselves, looking impressed and curious.

"Hey, you can sit over here if you want," Harry said politely, also seeing that they were clearly unsure of where to go.

The two girls looked over and the brown-haired girl smiled, her blue-grey eyes sparkling with interest. "Thank you, Harry Potter. That means a lot." She nodded to the boys and muttered something to them and they all walked over to the Gryffindor table.

George, who was sitting diagonal from Harry, moved slightly from where he was sitting, clearing his throat as the two girls sat across from him. "Welcome to Hogwarts," he said, smiling nervously. "I'm George Weasley."

The black-haired girl smiled at George, who was looking directly at her as he spoke. Her voice was polite, clearly unaware of just how nervous and intrigued George was as she said casually, "Hi. My name's Aria Hardwick."

"And I'm Riley O'Malley," the brown-haired girl said with a nod to each of the boys, clearly unaware that Seamus was staring at her with interest from several people down the row.

"Well, my name is Hermione Granger," Hermione said with a polite smile. "And this blundering idiot here who's complaining about Viktor Krum is Ron Weasley."

"I'm Ginny Weasley," Ginny said, shaking hands with Riley, whom she was sitting next to.

"And I'm Fred Weasley," Fred said, nodding to Riley.

"Wow," Aria said, smiling in amusement. "There certainly are a lot of you."

"So, what's Silvergates like? And America?" Hermione asked curiously. "I've read all about America, but I haven't been able to find much about Silvergates."

"Because of how new it is?" Riley asked, an amused twinkle in her eyes. "Not a problem. Our school is set up into five different Houses: Reineer, Maeres, Sethon, Slytherin –"

"Slytherin?" Ron said, snapping his head to the side, aware of the girls for the first time since they'd sat down. "But Slytherin was a teacher here at Hogwarts."

"Not always," Hermione said, frowning.

Riley nodded. "Hermione is right. If you'll remember correctly back to when Hogwarts was attacked by that basilisk, you'll remember that in Hogwarts' history, Salazar Slytherin wanted only Purebloods within his school, so when Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw refused to conform to his standards, he left. But what you _didn't_ learn is that when Slytherin left, he met up with four promising witches and wizards: Kendra Maeres, Rona Ravenclaw, Damon Sethon and Alexander Reineer."

"Wait," Hermione said shortly, her eyes filled with confusion. "_Rona_ Ravenclaw?"

"Yeah," Riley said, nodding. "Rowena Ravenclaw had a younger sister who was considered an outcast by the wizarding community. She was born to a witch mother, but a mistress to Rowena's father, while Rowena was born to his legal wife. Rowena's mother left him once Rona was born, leaving Rowena and Rona with their father."

"So she was looked down on because her father cheated on his wife with her mother?" Ron asked, confused.

Hermione shook her head. "No. I think I read something about her, and if I remember right, it was because of an accident."

Riley nodded. "Yes. Rona, who was three years younger than Rowena, attended a school with her sister that was a lot like Hogwarts: high-profile, highly looked upon, the kind of school where if you get kicked out, you'll never stand a chance of getting a decent, well-respected job."

"And did she, get kicked out?" Ginny asked curiously.

Riley nodded. "Yes. As it turns out, Rona was a Parstlemouth and one day, she got mad at a boy who had made fun of her and she accidentally sent a snake upon the boy and he was killed. When the Headmaster of the school found out about her abnormal gift and realized what had happened. She was expelled immediately, and the whole wizarding community found out. She was only thirteen, a third year at her school."

"Wow," Ron said, his eyes wide in surprise.

Riley nodded. "However, Rona didn't stop learning. She continued to train in theory for when she was finally old enough to use magic outside of school. As soon as she turned seventeen, she took up magic again and became an extremely powerful witch, rivaling her sister. When Slytherin came along, he offered her the chance to do something important, gave her the opportunity to be a part of history and to teach students everything she knew, so that they could one day have a better life than the one she had been left. She jumped at the idea, wanting a respectable life and grateful that she had found someone who not only didn't mind her snake-tongue, but shared the same ability. It wasn't until after Slytherin died that Silvergates was finally allowed to admit halfbloods and Muggleborns."

"Well, better late than never, I guess," Hermione said slowly, looking unsettled.

Riley nodded. "Exactly. Personally, I don't give hoot one way or another what kind of blood one has. I don't care if you're Muggle, Pureblood, halfblood or Muggleborn. My family is Pureblood, but…"

"I'm a halfblood," Aria said, nodding. "My mother's father was a Muggle, not that he cared that my grandmother was a witch. He couldn't care less. So even though my father was a Pureblood, I know what it's like to be looked down upon for having Muggle origins. It's stupid, caring one way or another, if you ask me. But most Purebloods don't care what I think because I'm a halfblood."

"But because I'm in the Slytherin house _and_ I'm a Pureblood, I can help influence the way some people act around us at school," Riley said with a roll of her eyes.

"How old are you?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I'm fifteen, almost sixteen," Riley said with a shrug. "I turn sixteen in three weeks. And Aria just turned fifteen. However, we're Second Years at our school. At Silvergates, you start school when you're fourteen, instead of eleven like here at Hogwarts. It's a four-year school, and Americans become of age at the age of eighteen; still, the set-up is very similar. However, rather than living in a castle, we live in a _very_ large mansion; the staircases are made of marble, and the building is much bigger because we have more classes, and kids are pushed into insanely vigorous drills that make us feel more like soldiers."

"How do you know so much about Hogwarts?" Fred asked, looking at Riley in confusion.

"Well, I did my research on Hogwarts before coming over. I was the only one who bothered to do any research," Riley said, glaring at one of the boys, a sandy-blonde boy with green eyes.

The boy rolled his eyes. "It's not like we're all brainiacs who spend half of their day in advanced classes and in the library."

"At least _I_ know where the library is," Riley pointed out. The boy just narrowed his eyes playfully, though he said nothing about it.

"We know someone like that, too," Harry laughed, looking at Hermione.

Hermione blushed.

When all the students had entered the Hall and settled down at their House tables, the staff entered, filing up to the top table and taking their seats. Last in line were Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime. When their headmistress appeared, the pupils from Beauxbatons leapt to their feet. A few of the Hogwarts students laughed. The Beauxbatons party appeared unembarrassed, however, and did not resume their seats until Madame Maxime had sat down on Dumbledore's left-hand side. Dumbledore remained standing, and a silence fell over the Great Hall.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and – most particularly – guests," said Dumbledore, beaming around at the foreign students. "I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable. The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink and make yourselves at home!"

As food suddenly appeared on the table, Riley smiled. "That, however, we _don't_ get at Silvergates. We usually wait until the House-elves bring out our food. This is much more efficient."

Harry laughed and found that having the Silvergates students there was relaxing. He had been looking forward to seeing the TriWizard contestants, but somehow this wasn't the reaction he had expected to feel. Somehow he had expected to feel rivalry and as though they were competition. But somehow, they seemed to fit in naturally, especially the two girls.

"So, are you planning on competing in the Tournament?" Fred asked, voicing Harry's thoughts.

Riley smiled, a daring look on her face. "Only four of the twelve students from our school are entering. Aria is too young, and most of us are here to help whoever becomes our Champion to make sure that nothing goes wrong. The four who were chosen are the four best from our school, each of them having come prepared for even death if that's what it took."

"What about you?" Fred asked, staring Riley in the eye. "Are you interested in entering the TriWizard Tournament?"

"Of course, I'm interested," Riley said abruptly in a duh-tone. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. However, I'm nowhere near strong enough to win."

"Nonsense," Aria insisted, looking at Riley as though she was insane. "You're the strongest witch in our class, and even Slater complimented you on your abilities in Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and he doesn't compliment anyone."

"He commended your abilities in Potions," Riley pointed out with a smile at her friend. "I'm a fair student in Potions, but you're the best in our year in that class. Actually, you're the best in the entire school, and that's not an easy thing to say, considering how many talented students are at Silvergates."

Aria blushed.

"So you're pretty strong?" Fred asked curiously.

"I'd like to see you get past us," George teased, his eyes shimmering in amusement.

Riley laughed, her eyes looking at the twins with a strange look, as though there was a hidden meaning behind her gaze. "I think I may take you up on that one day."

Once the golden plates had been wiped clean, Dumbledore stood up again. A pleasant sort of tension seemed to fill the Hall now. Harry felt a slight thrill of excitement, wondering what was coming.

"The moment has come," said Dumbledore, smiling around at the sea of upturned faces. "The TriWizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket."

"The _what?_" Harry muttered.

Ron shrugged.

"…Just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Cooperation and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports." After a pause, Dumbledore continued. "Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the TriWizard tournament, and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime and Professor Slater on the panel that will judge the Champions' efforts." Dumbledore turned his body. "The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

Harry turned his head and watched as Mr. Filch slowly brought in the casket. Then, Dumbledore lowered his hand and the sides seemed to disappear, revealing a magnificent goblet that was several feet tall and seemed to glow brilliantly.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," explained Dumbledore. "And they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be four tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways… their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction, and of course, their ability to cope with danger."

There were several murmurs of excitement at this.

Dumbledore continued. "As you know, four champions will compete in this tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after the fourth task will win the TriWizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire!"

The huge goblet blazed brilliantly.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the four it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete. To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross the line. Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered lightly. Once a Champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all."

"An Age Line!" Fred Weasley said, his eyes glinting as they all made their way across the Hall to the doors in the entrance hall. "Well, that should be fooled by an Aging Potion, shouldn't it? And once your name's in that goblet, it can't tell whether your seventeen or not."

"You're kidding, right?" Riley laughed. "An Aging Potion? You're mad, Fred, absolutely mad. "

"And why is that?" George asked challengingly.

Aria laughed. "First of all, George, as a person who knows her fair share about potions, Dumbledore may be old, but he's not naïve or forgetful. He will remember Aging Potions when he does his Age Line. You may think that by using something as juvenile and incredibly dumb-witted as an Aging Potion that he'll forget, but remember that this is the great Albus Dumbledore we're talking about here."

"Well, what's the worst that can happen?" Fred asked. "We age for a few hours? But if everything goes right…"

"Then we could be sitting smack-dead on top of the world, my friend," George laughed.

Riley rolled her eyes and walked off to talk to Professor Slater, who was speaking with Dumbledore. She raised her hand in defeat. "Don't say I didn't warn ya."

Aria smiled, shaking her head as she watched her friend walk off. "Never changes," she said. "I've known Riley since we were four, and she'll never change. Not even Karkaroff could get her to change."

"What?" Fred asked, looking at Aria in confusion.

Aria shook her head and smiled back at Fred and George. "Nothing. A mere slip of the tongue. I was just thinking out loud. Anyway, good luck. It'll have to be some Aging Potion for it to work."

George smiled and began slightly blushing. "So, do you guys have anywhere to stay tonight?"

Aria shook her head. "No one has said anything about a place to stay."

"Why doesn't Silvergates stay with Gryffindor?" George offered.

Harry smiled, knowing that it wasn't just common courtesy that drove George to make such a generous offer, especially seeing as Aria came from another school and normally he would look upon anyone in such a circumstance as a rival. Fred, Ron and Ginny also seemed to clearly realize this, as they stared, wide-eyed at their brother in dismay.

Aria smiled, clearly surprised. "Well, thank you. I'll go tell Slater that you said that. I'm sure he'll be thrilled." With that, she turned and ran off toward Slater and Riley.

George saw the looks on his siblings' faces and glared at them. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"_Us_?" Fred exclaimed. "What was _that_?"

"I was just being nice," George snapped. "Besides, Durmstrang is staying with Slytherin and Beauxbatons is staying with Ravenclaw. There's no reason Silvergates can't stay with Gryffindor."

"Nice is one thing," Ron said, looking at his brother as though he was insane. "But _that_ was just out _ridiculous_."

"You might as well have slobbered, you were so obvious," Ginny said, shaking her head. "That was flat out unbelievable and embarrassing. It's a wonder she's oblivious enough that she didn't notice."

Harry laughed with Hermione and turned his head to see Aria reach Slater and Riley. As Harry watched her, he could understand the sixth year's attraction. Aria was very pretty, and stood at the same height as Ginny, unlike Riley who stood almost as tall as the Weasley twins themselves, as tall as Harry and Ron. She was also nice, and appeared to hold no rivalry, a keeper of the peace as it would be.

Slater turned his head and blinked in surprise. He walked over with Aria on his left-hand side and Riley on his right. Walking together, the three looked very serious and intimidating, walking with a certain heir about them, a natural confidence that seemed to send a shiver through Harry's spine when he saw the seriousness in Riley and Slater's eyes. As they walked over, the rest of the Silvergates students fell in behind Slater, leaving Slater, Riley and Aria at the front.

Slater walked over to Harry and his friends with Aria and Riley. "Aria tells me that you've offered us a place to stay."

"Well, if you want to…" George stuttered, turning dark red.

Ginny held up a hand and said respectfully to Slater, "Professor Slater, please ignore my idiot brother. Yes, if you need a place to stay, there's plenty of room in Gryffindor's tower. Aria and Riley can come with Hermione and me, and the boys may stay in the boys' dormitory."

Slater nodded. "Thank you." He nodded to the Gryffindors and then turned and walked off, leaving the Gryffindors with the Silvergates students.

"You can come with us," Hermione said to Riley and Aria, and along with Ginny, the four girls walked off, leaving the boys behind.

* * *

A/N 2: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	4. Chapter 2: The Five Champions

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Two: The Five Champions

* * *

Ginny couldn't believe the stupidity of her brothers (or rather, she could, but she was having an unusually hard time believing the exact length of their stupidity this time.) Fred and George had awoken early that morning to prepare their stupid Aging Potion just to have it backfire in their faces. Leave it to the ultimate maverick wizards to end up with a beard and a bruise on their butts from getting arrogant and ignorant at the same time.

The night before, Ginny had been surprised to wake up at two o'clock in the morning due to noise. She had gone downstairs to the Gryffindor common room to find Riley on the ground, picking up some books that apparently she had dropped. When Ginny had questioned why she was up at two o'clock in the first place, Riley had given her a strange, carefree smile and said something very strange.

"The night soothes me, being in the dark with the fire glowing gently on the books I read and the moonlight seeping through the window. Something about it seems to keep me relaxed and focused," Riley explained.

This morning, when Ginny had woken up, she had found Riley sitting on the edge of her bed, a distant look in her eyes as she pulled her black cloak on. She had a serious, distant look, as though inhibited by some dark past. When Aria said her name, however, she seemed to wake up and seemed completely unbothered by anything once again.

Now, sitting back in their spots at the Gryffindor table and awaiting the results of the four Champions, Ginny watched the Silvergates kids with wonder. Which one of them would be representing their school? Which one of them would carry the fate of the future TriWizard Tournaments? How strong would they be? Would they be able to beat the Hogwarts' Champion, whoever that may be?

"Ooh, it's them, look!" Hermione whispered.

The Durmstrang party was walking up toward the castle from the lake. Viktor Krum was walking side by side with Karkaroff, and the other Durmstrang students were straggling along behind them. Ron watched Krum excitedly, but Krum didn't look happy, or even smile. He just walked, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Hope it's Angelina," said Fred.

"So do I!" said Hermione breathlessly. "Well, we'll soon know!"

The Halloween feast seemed to take much longer than usual. Perhaps it was because it was their second feast in two days. Ginny thoroughly enjoyed it, but she had a suspicion that the cause for the length in time was due to the tension in the air. She could tell that everyone was feeling it. No one cared about the feast today. Instead, everyone seemed to rush through the feast as fast as possible, everyone feeling more excitement at the anticipation of waiting for the Goblet of Fire to choose the four Champions. Ginny pitied the Champions. While the TriWizard Tournament certainly seemed exciting, she knew the dangers that awaited the Champions, understand how horrible it would be for the Champions, especially the one who faced the Hungarian Horntail in the first Task.

Ginny blinked in surprise as Slater walked over and stood behind two of the Silvergates boys. "Did you all put forth your names into the Goblet?" he asked, looking at the two boys, and the two boys across from them.

"Yes, Professor," three of the boys said, nodding, and the fourth stared down at the table.

Slater narrowed his eyes suspiciously down at the fourth boy. "You _did_ submit a piece of paper, didn't you, Aaron?"

The boy looked up and nodded. "Yes, sir," he said quietly, his blue eyes lacking all emotion.

Slater hesitated, then walked off. Once he was gone, one of the boys, a black-haired boy named Alex, hissed at Aaron, "What was _that_ about? Why were you acting so mysterious? Don't tick Slater off, or there'll be hell to pay for _all_ of us."

Aaron shook his head. "I just don't feel well."

Dumbledore walked up to the Goblet of Fire and said aloud, "Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision. I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber," he indicated the door behind the staff table. "where they will be receiving their first instructions."

As the group waited, Lee Jordan whispered, "Any second."

All of a sudden, the flames inside the goblet turned red again. Sparks began to fly from it. A moment later, a tongue of flame shot into the air, a charred piece of parchment fluttered out of it. The whole room gasped.

Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and held it at arm's length, so that he could read it by the light of the flames, which had turned back to blue and white. "The champion from Durmstrang," he read in a strong, clear voice, "Will be Viktor Krum."

"No surprises there!" yelled Ron as a storm of applause and cheering swept the Hall. Harry saw Viktor Krum rise from the Slytherin table and slouch up toward Dumbledore. He turned right, walked along the staff table, and disappeared through the door into the next chamber.

Above the roar of clapping, Ginny heard Karkaroff's voice as he yelled, "Bravo, Viktor! Knew you had it in you!"

The clapping and chatting died down. Now everyone's attention was focused again on the goblet, which seconds later, turned red once more. A second piece of parchment shot out of it, propelled by the flames.

"The champion from Beauxbatons," Dumbledore began, his eyes filled with interest, "is Fleur Delacour!"

"It's her, Ron," Ginny heard Harry whisper above the sound of clapping.

"Oh look, they're all disappointed," Hermione said over the noise, nodding toward the remainder of the Beauxbatons party. "Disappointed" was a bit of an understatement. Two of the girls who had not been selected had dissolved into tears and were sobbing with their heads on their arms.

When Fleur Delacour too had vanished into the side chamber, silence fell again, but this time it was a silence so stiff with excitement that you could almost taste it. The Hogwarts champion was next… and then it was Silvergates' turn...

And the Goblet of Fire turned red once more. Sparks showered out of it. The tongue of flame shot high into the air, and from its tip Dumbledore pulled the third piece of parchment.

"The Hogwarts Champion," Dumbledore said, "is Cedric Diggory!"

"No!" Ron gasped, only to slam his forehead against the table in grief.

Ginny glared at her brother. "_Honestly_, Ron!" she snapped, though she doubted he could hear her over the thunder of clapping.

"And now we have one more Champion coming," Dumbledore said, sounding somewhat enthusiastic and intrigued.

As Cedric disappeared from the room, flames began burning from within the Goblet of Fire. Soon, flames flew up from within it, throwing out the fourth piece of paper. Dumbledore caught the piece of paper and looked down at it. He narrowed his eyes, looking confused. Then he cleared his throat and said aloud, "The Champion from Silvergates will be Riley O'Malley."

"_What?_" one of the boys from Silvergates yelled, glaring down at Riley. "How is that possible? She's not seventeen yet! She has two weeks to go before she even turns _sixteen!_ That's not possible!"

No one looked more confused than Riley. She sat there, completely dumbfounded. "How is this possible?" she asked, clearly unsure of what else to say. But she didn't wait for an answer. She stood up and slowly walked forward. As she did, Ginny saw Slater - who was sitting up beside Karkaroff – look at Riley in a combination of confusion and rage. Ginny barely saw Riley shrug to him in clueless confusion as she passed her Headmaster, only to disappear in the same direction as all of her fellow Champions.

Dumbledore hesitated, then yelled out happily, "And, in however strange of circumstances, we now have our four Champions. I am sure that I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students of Beauxbatons, Durmstrang and Silvergates, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champions on you will contribute in a very real…"

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him.

The fire in the goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and born upon it was another piece of parchment. Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and in an instant, Ginny's worst fears came to be. The one name he said was the one she had feared to be involved in any way in the most terrifying of tournaments ever created. The name of the one person she cared about more than any other.

"Harry Potter."

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	5. Chapter 3: The Inquiry

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Three: The Inquiry

* * *

She didn't understand it. Riley _couldn't_ understand how it had happened. She was only fifteen, sixteen in a few months. How could _her_ name have possibly been put into the Goblet?

Sure, she had talent, and she was really good at Transfiguration… and she wasn't that bad at Defense Against the Dark Arts… but who on earth would put _her_ name in the Goblet? Why would anyone do that? Alex, Aaron, Garret and Lance were the only four old enough to put their names in the Goblet. That's why they had come. The others were only to help the Champion with whatever they needed. She was the Transfigurations and Defense master, and Aria had been there to conjure any Potion that the Champion would need. But now it was up to her to stand for the Silvergates students.

Riley was smart enough to know that to be a part of the TriWizard students was an honor, but she was wise enough to know that anyone who joined should also carry fear in their heart, especially someone who had only had four years of practice. She had studied in theory everything she now knew and had spent four years honing her skills, to the point where she now stood at the top of her class, and she had one other talent that only Aria knew about and was a gift that had been passed down through her family for a thousand years. However, she sincerely doubted that that would come in use during this Tournament.

Riley shuddered as she walked through the hallway and into the next chamber. She saw Viktor, Fleur and Cedric standing by the fire, all waiting patiently. Viktor turned his head and looked at her. "Riley," he said, not bothering to hide his surprise from his voice. "Vat is going on? You are vot old enuv to enter. Surely you are vot the Silvergates champio'?"

Riley stuttered, "I, I don't know. Dumbledore, he called my name -"

"How is zat possible?" Fleur demanded. "Did you put your name een?"

Cedric shook his head as he walked closer to Riley, as though standing up for her. "That's not possible, Fleur. She's not old enough. She couldn't have successfully put her name in. To master a spell to do something beyond Dumbledore's control would take someone with far more experience than a fourth year, even from Silvergates." He looked at Riley, narrowing his eyes at her "Someone must have put your name in for you."

"I, I guess." Riley had never stammered so much in her life, but that was because she'd never been this confused in her life.

"Did you ask someone to?" Cedric asked, searching her eyes with his.

"No!" Riley insisted, desperate to make people believe her.

Cedric was silent for a moment before nodding and saying, "I believe you."

Riley relaxed slightly, only to tense up a moment later.

"But of courz she ees lying!" Fleur scoffed as she pointed to Riley. "How elz could 'er name 'ave gotten een zere?"

"There are plenty of other explanations, Fleur," Cedric said with a look over at Fleur, speaking up before Riley had the chance to yell at her defensively. "Anyone old enough to submit a piece of parchment could have slipped her name in, and the Goblet never would have known otherwise. It looks at the age of the submitter, not the name on the paper."

Riley felt a little relieved by Cedric's faith in her, not that it would help much in the long run. She _certainly_ hadn't put her in the Goblet (She wasn't stupid enough to risk Slater's wrath when she was already on tenterhooks with Silvergates' administration) but now no one would believe her. Slater would know. He would be angry at her again, angrier than ever before. He had let her slide many times because of her heritage. She knew this and for two years since she first moved to Silvergates, since her expulsion. The only reason he had taken her in was because of her strong aptitude for magic and her heritage, the second one being more to the point. She had pushed her luck for years, and she knew that he would think of this as simply another attempt to try and see how far he was willing to let her go.

Riley spun around when she heard footsteps and relaxed a little when she saw Harry enter the room. He looked as bewildered and confused as she felt.

Bagman suddenly entered the room and squeezed Harry's arm. "Incredible! Absolutely incredible! This year, we don't have only four, but _five _TriWizard champions!"

"Oh, vairy funny joke, Mester Bagman," Fleur laughed.

"Joke?" Bagman repeated, bewildered. "No, no, not at all. Harry's name just came out of the Goblet of Fire."

Riley stared at Harry in horror, but not for the same reasons as the others. She knew that it was possible that someone had put her name in and that it was normal for her to be Champion if the goblet chose one person. But for Harry, whose school had already named a Champion… this couldn't be good. It had to be a trap. But how?

"But evidently zair 'as been a mistake," Fleur insisted, looking outraged. "Zese two. Zey cannot compete. Zey are too young."

"Well… it is _amazing_," said Bagman, rubbing his smooth chin and smiling at Harry and Riley. "But, as you know, the age restriction was only imposed this year as an extra safety measure. And as their names came out of the Goblet… I mean, I don't think there can be any ducking out at this stage… It's down in the rules, you're obliged… Harry and Riley will just have to do the best that they…"

The door behind them opened again, and a large group of people came in: Dumbledore, followed closely by Mr. Crouch, Slater, Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Snape. Harry heard the buzzing of the hundreds of students on the other side of the wall, before Professor McGonagall closed the door.

"Madame Maxime!" said Fleur at once, striding over to her headmistress. "Madame Maxime! Zey are saying zat zese two little kids are to compete."

"Now hold it right there, Fleur," Riley snapped, snapped out of her shock in an instant. "Hold it right there. I'm only a year younger than you, and Harry's not so little."

"And why should you complain?" Fleur spun around and rounded on Riley, who in spite from being a year younger than her, stood exactly as tall as her, eye-to-eye. "You get to compete, in zpite of ze rules. Eet doesn't matter for you. You get to compete."

"What is ze meaning of zis, Dumbly-dorr?" Madame Maxime exclaimed as she looked at Dumbledore with equal outrage.

"I'd rather like to know that myself," insisted Karkaroff as he crossed his arms agitatedly. "_Two_ Hogwarts champions? I don't remember anyone telling me that the host school is allowed two champions. Or have I not read the rules carefully enough."

Riley felt a rush of all too familiar distaste as Karkaroff gave off an arrogant laugh of mockery. All of her hatred for the man returned, the distaste she had felt for him for years returning in an instant, since her first year of school. She knew the darker side of Karkaroff better than anyone, and that didn't involve the darkest side of his past. She knew how cruel he was, how much he hated anyone who stood against him, and how far he would go to make her life hell.

"That's enough, Igor," Slater said, looking at his friend. He looked at Dumbledore. "Though, Albus, I would like an explanation as well, considering that my school is also involved in this mix-up."

"C'est impossible," said Madame Maxime, whose enormous hand with its many superb opals was resting upon Fleur's shoulder. "'Ogwarts cannot 'ave two champions, and Silvergates may not 'ave an underage witch. It's unjust."

"It's no one's fault but Potter's, Karkaroff," Snape said simply. "Don't go blaming Dumbledore for Potter's determination to break the rules. And as for the girl…" he said, looking at Riley.

"Thank you, Severus," Dumbledore said, obviously hinting for his employee to be quiet.

"No, Dumbledore," Karkaroff said, staring Riley straight in the eye, a look of mockery and contempt in his eyes. She narrowed her eyes back at him, resentment meeting his mockery. "Severus is right to question Riley. I know this girl very well. She _was_ my student, after all, until her expulsion. I have no doubt in my mind that she is capable of masterminding some plot of getting someone to put her name in, or that she has the brains to get away with it. She's smart, but she's definitely the sort of witch that wouldn't mind blowing past all rules – school and Ministry – in order to do what she wants."

"How _dare_ you," Riley snapped, feeling her anger take control of her as she faced Durmstrang's headmaster. Her eyes blazed in anger as she faced him, walking right up to him. "How dare you bring my personal history into this matter? My connection to Durmstrang has absolutely _nothing_ to do with this."

Karkaroff scoffed and looked up at Slater. "Gregor, you should learn to control your students better; you never should have brought her in the first place. It's only asking for trouble, putting her near so much power and people stronger than herself. I know better than anyone what she's willing to do to achieve power, and to overpower others."

Riley's blood boiled in outrage.

Slater walked up behind Riley and said strongly, "I will decide who is fit to come with my group and how to punish my students. And as for whether it will bring trouble or not…"

"Professor," Viktor spoke up, walking up beside Karkaroff. "If you vill remember correctly, Riley vus not just a trouble maker. She vus a very good student, better than many of the older students, in spite of vut happened three years ago. I do not believe she put her name in that cup, if that is vut she says, and if you vant me to compete, back off of 'er case."

Karkaroff frowned, clearly in disagreement, but obviously not going to argue with Viktor. Riley had to smile in amusement. Viktor had been her friend for years. He had been a fourth year when she had first attended Durmstrang and had been nice to her and helped her out a lot. She was glad to see that having been apart three years hadn't made him forget who she was or how they had been friends, which he proved when he smiled at her.

Dumbledore walked over to Riley and Harry and stared them in the eyes. "Tell me, did either of you put your names in the Goblet of Fire?"

"No," Riley said honestly.

"No," Harry said, looking just as confused as Riley felt.

"Did either of you ask an older student to put your names in the Goblet of Fire for you?" Dumbledore asked.

"No," Riley and Harry repeated.

Riley could see Karkaroff scoff in disbelief at her comment and Snape roll his eyes at Harry's and she felt a rush of irritation. Why didn't these idiots believe her?

"Ah, but of course zey are lying!" cried Madame Maxime, clearly of the same opinion as her Champion.

"They could not have crossed the Age Line," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "I am sure we are all agreed on that."

"Dumbly-dorr must 'ave made a mistake wiz ze line," said Madame Maxime, shrugging.

"It is possible, of course," said Dumbledore politely.

"Dumbledore, you know perfectly well you did not make a mistake!" Professor McGonagall said angrily. "Really, what nonsense. Harry and Riley could not have crossed the line themselves, and as Professor Dumbledore believes that they did not persuade an older student to do it for them, I'm sure that should be good enough for everybody else!"

Slater narrowed his eyes. "I think I can answer how Riley's name got put into the goblet. I'm almost 100% sure that one of the four students who were eligible out of my school put her name in instead of his own. Why it stayed, or how, I'm not sure. But I'm almost positive that that's how it got put in."

"Aaron," Riley whispered, thinking of his hesitation earlier that day. But why would Aaron put her name in? Then she remembered how he had spoken on their way over of how he thought she was a better candidate, and that the Age Line shouldn't be the only thing separating her from trying. She looked up at Slater and saw anger flash in his eyes and realized instantly that Aaron wouldn't be a student at Silvergates for much longer. Slater would see to it that Aaron was expelled for this, and Aaron would have known that when he put her name forward. She suddenly felt a rush of guilt and horror at the expectations that would precede her now.

"Mr. Crouch… Mr. Bagman," said Karkaroff, his voice unctuous once more, "You are our, er, _objective_ judges. Surely you will agree that this is most irregular?"

Bagman wiped his round, boyish face with his handkerchief and looked at Mr. Crouch, who was standing outside the circle of firelight, his face half hidden in the shadow. He looked slightly eerie, the darkness making him look much older, giving him an almost skull-like appearance. When he spoke, however, it was in his usual curt voice.

"We must follow the rules, and the rules state clearly that those people whose names come out of the Goblet of Fire are bound to compete in the tournament."

"Well, Barty knows the rule book back to front," said Bagman, beaming and turning back to Karkaroff and Madame Maxime, as though the matter were now closed.

Riley felt a rush of fear, not only for herself, but for Harry. She knew that this could only be bad news. She was a normal competitor, born under a mere mistake. She was certain, however, that his name was put in as a trap, a trap which in this competition could cost him his life.

"I insist upon resubmitting the names of the rest of my students," said Karkaroff. He had dropped his unctuous tone and his smile now. His face wore a very ugly look indeed, one Riley had seen many times, for in her time at Durmstrang, it had been shunned upon her in many occasions, including the one resulting in her expulsion. Karkaroff continued. "You will set up the Goblet of Fire once more, and we will continue adding names until each school has two champions. It's only fair, Dumbledore."

"But Karkaroff, it doesn't work like that," Bagman said with a shake of his head, though he looked thrilled by the situation. "The Goblet of Fire's just gone out. It won't reignite until the start of the next tournament."

"In which Durmstrang will most certainly not be competing!" exploded Karkaroff. "After all our meetings and negotiations and compromises, I little expected something of this nature to occur! I have half a mind to leave now!"

"Empty threat, Karkaroff," growled a voice from near the door. "You can't leave your champion now. He's got to compete. They've _all_ got to compete. Binding magical contract, like Dumbledore said. Convenient, eh?"

Riley turned her head and narrowed her eyes when she saw a small, square-built man who in her female opinion bordered hideous, but on an unbiased opinion that she tried to keep, she could see the age, the experience and the skill in him, just by looking at him, though thanks to her extremely good sense of smell, she felt like vomiting at his stench. She wanted to yell at him to take a bath. Though as she looked at him, and saw his glass, ball eye, she knew who he was immediately.

"Mad-eye Moody," she whispered in awe as she stared at the great Auror.

"Convenient?" Karkaroff scoffed, looking at the man in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't understand you, Moody."

"Don't you?" said Moody quietly. "It's very simple, Karkaroff. Someone put Potter's name in the goblet knowing he'd have to compete if it came out."

"Evidently, someone 'oo wished to give 'Ogwarts two bites at ze apple!" Madame Maxime roared.

"Then how do you explain Miss O'Malley's part in this, Professor Moody?" Professor McGonagall asked, confused. "I understand that as far as Potter is concerned, but how does Miss O'Malley?"

"I don't think that O'Malley did anything wrong," Moody said, and Riley felt a rush of surprise. "Instead, I think that whoever put her name in must have done so after the goblet was tampered with."

"Tampered with?" Madame Maxime asked in surprise. "Zis is despicable! Outrageous!"

"I quite agree, Madame Maxime," said Karkaroff, bowing to her. "I shall be lodging complaints with the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards."

"If anyone's got a reason to complain, it's Potter," growled Moody. "but… funny thing… I don't hear him saying a word…"

"Why should 'e complain?" burst out Fleur Delacour, stamping her foot. "Either of them. Zey 'ave ze chance to compete, 'aven't zey? We 'ave all been 'oping to be chosen for weeks and weeks! Ze honor for our schools1 A thousand Galleons in prize money. Zis is a chance many would die for!"

"Did you ever stop to consider that maybe someone's hoping Potter is going to die for it?" asked Moody grumpily, with the merest trace of a growl.

An extremely tense silence followed these words. Ludo Bagman, who was looking very anxious indeed, bounced nervously up and down on his feet and said, "Moody, old man… what a thing to say!"

"We all know Professor Moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn't discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime," said Karkaroff loudly. "Apparently he is now teaching his students to fear assassination too. An odd quality in a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dumbledore, but no doubt you had your reasons."

"Imagining things, am I?" growled Moody. "Seeing things, eh? It was a skilled witch or wizard who put the boy's name in that goblet."

"Ah, what evidence is zere of zat?" said Madame Maxime, throwing up her huge hands.

"Because they hoodwinked a very powerful magical object!" said Moody. "It would have needed an exceptionally strong Confundus Charm to bamboozle that goblet into forgetting that only four schools compete in this year's tournament… I'm guessing they submitted Potter's name under a fifth school, to make sure that he was the only in his category."

"You seem to have given this a great deal of thought, Moody," said Karkaroff coldly, "and a very ingenious theory it is… though of course, I heard you recently got it into your head that one of your birthday presents contained a cunningly disguised basilisk egg, and smashed it to pieces before realizing that it was a carriage clock. So you'll understand if we don't take you entirely seriously."

"There are those who'll turn innocent occasions to their advantage," Moody retorted in a menacing voice. "It's my job to think the way that Dark wizards do, as you ought to remember."

"Alastor!" Dumbledore roared.

Riley looked up at her former Headmaster and wondered what Moody could be talking about, and why Dumbledore had warned Moody to stop. Moody fell silent, though still surveying Karkaroff with satisfaction, because Karkaroff's face was burning. Riley smiled. Her liking of Moody just went up a notch. The fact that he could put Karkaroff in his place made her like him all the more.

"How this situation arose for Harry, we do not know," said Dumbledore, speaking to everyone gathered in the room. "It seems to me, however, that we have no choice but to accept it. Both Cedric and Harry have been chosen to compete in the Tournament, and Riley has been chosen to represent Silvergates. This, therefore, they will do."

"Ah, but Dumbly-dorr…"

"My dear Madame Maxime, if you have an alternative, I would be delighted to hear it."

When Madame Maxime didn't say anything, Bagman, who looked rather thrilled, turned to Mr. Crouch and said, "Well, shall we crack on, then? Got to give our champions their instructions, haven't we? Barty, want to do the honors?"

Mr. Crouch seemed to come out of a deep reverie. "Yes," he said, "instructions. Yes… the first task…" He moved forward into the firelight. Riley noticed that the man looked almost sick, and she wondered why he looked so ill. "The first task is designed to test your daring," Mr. Crouch began. "So we are not going to be telling you what it is. Courage in the face of the unknown is an important quality in a witch or wizard… very important…

"The first task will take place on November the twenty-fourth, in front of the other students and the panel of judges.

"The champions are not permitted to ask for or accept help of any kind from their teachers to complete the tasks in the tournament. The champions will face the first challenge armed only with their wands. They will receive information about the second task when the first is over. Owing to the demanding and time-consuming nature of the tournament, the champions are exempted from the end-of-year tests."

Mr. Crouch turned to look at Dumbledore.

"I think that's all, isn't it, Albus?"

"I think so," said Dumbledore, who was looking at Mr. Crouch with mild concern. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to stay at Hogwarts tonight, Barty?"

"No, Dumbledore, I must get back to the Ministry," said Mr. Crouch. "It is a very busy, very difficult time at the moment… I've left young Weatherby in charge… very enthusiastic, if truth be told…"

"You'll come and have a drink before you go, at least?" Dumbledore asked politely.

"Come on, Barty, _I'm_ staying!" Bagman said brightly. "It's all happening at Hogwarts now, you now, much more exciting here than at the office."

"I think not, Ludo," said Crouch with a touch of his old impatience.

"Riley."

Slater looked back at Slater and up at his face. He nodded away to the door, and then looked at Dumbledore. "I assume that we may we leave now?"

"Yes, of course," Dumbledore said with a nod. "Stay as long as you like, Gregor, Madame Maxime and Karkaroff."

"I don't think so," Karkaroff said, turning and walking out.

Viktor stopped and nodded to Riley. "I vill talk to you later," he promised.

Riley nodded, blinking at him as she said, "I look forward to it."

Viktor then followed Karkaroff out and Riley was glad that she still had his friendship. She then looked up at Slater and he nodded. The two then walked out into the hallway outside of the room, where Slater stopped Riley and made her face him. She stood at five feet and eight inches, while Slater stood nearly six feet tall, so she had to look up at his piercing blue eyes.

"Tell me, Riley, did you put your name in that Goblet?" Slater asked sternly.

Riley shook her head. "No. I honestly have no idea how my name got in the goblet. Well, I have _one_…"

Slater nodded. "So do I. If my guess is right, Aaron put your name in, breaking one of the rules of the tournament." He shook his head in disgust, scoffing as he muttered, "I'll expel him for this, embarrassing our school like this. The _Daily Prophet_ will have a field day once they get word of this, along with Potter's involvement; an absolute field day." He shook his head and let out a sigh of disbelief and exhaustion. "This year was supposed to be the making of history for Silvergates, getting us allowed to participate in the TriWizard Tournament. I was hoping so badly that our school would produce a Champion that would win and claim honor for our school."

"We still have that chance," Riley protested. Slater narrowed his eyes at her, listening as she continued to say, "Don't expel him, not yet. Give him the rest of this year. Give me the chance to prove that I _am_ the witch he thought me to be." Her eyes narrowed with determination. "I will give this Tournament every ounce of energy and dedication within me. I wanted this badly, but I thought it wasn't possible. Now I have been given the opportunity, which _must_ mean that I have some important part to play in the events of this Tournament."

Slater narrowed his eyes suspiciously. His voice was low and calm as he said, "I do not doubt your skill, Riley. You are the best of your year, a master of transfiguration and skilled at Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'd be willing to say that you're one of the best in the entire school, even if I'm not one of your biggest fans. You will do well, I have no doubt. But for him to put a younger student's life in danger is irresponsible, to say the least. This is no ordinary walk in the park. People _die_ in this tournament. It's not just about you." He narrowed his eyes to slits as he added, "And don't think my concern is just about you. I would be this angry if anyone did this to any of my underaged witches or wizards." He hesitated before adding, "The only difference is that I think you might actually be able to survive. Don't prove me wrong."

"I understand," Riley said with a nod. "Believe me; I do. But wait to expel him until _after_ the tournament. If the Ministry asks us not to come back next time, then expel us both. If they continue to allow Silvergates to compete in future TriWizard Tournaments, let Aaron stay. Don't expel him."

Slater hesitated, but ended up nodding. "Very well. He can stay until the competition is over. I hope you do well, Riley, for both of your sakes." He turned and walked off, leaving Riley alone.

As Slater disappeared, Riley felt a rush of sudden exhaustion. She leaned back against the wall, leaning her head against the wall as she breathed for air. She knew what she had just put on the line, and she felt fear at the knowledge of what would happen if she failed. She closed her eyes, hoping, praying that she had not just made a mistake.

"Riley?"

Riley opened her eyes and looked over to see Harry standing there, looking at her in sympathy. Riley smiled, feeling too tired to try to defend herself. "You heard that, huh?"

Harry nodded. "It was brave of you, Riley, to put your neck out for your friend like that. Come on, let's go back to the Gryffindor tower together."

Riley nodded and the two began to walk back. They walked the lengthy passage back to the Gryffindor tower in silence. It wasn't until they reached the painting that Riley voiced her thoughts, and what Harry had been silently questioning as well.

"Harry," Riley said, and Harry faced her, looking curiously at her. "I know that what I think is inconsequential, especially seeing as I'm from a different school, but I don't believe you put your name in the Goblet. Not because I don't think you're good enough!" she rushed to defend herself and explain more calmly. "But because even though I've only known you for a day, I don't believe you'd break the rules like that and try to deceive everyone. I've heard of you all the way over in America, and I've always thought that it must be lonely being in the spotlight all the time, everyone knowing who you are and having your every move watched by the whole wizarding world, expecting you to fail." She smiled. "You're lucky to have friends who care about you and are willing to face the dangers you do without question and stick it out, knowing that every adventure could be their last and knowing that they believe in their friend so much that they're willing to die for them."

Harry smiled, visibly relaxing. "Well, I'm glad that at least one person out there believes in me. Thanks, Riley."

Riley nodded and Harry spoke the password that activated the painting to open. They then passed through into the common room and were suddenly met with a thunderous roar of cheering and applause from both Silvergates students and Gryffindors, congratulating both Champions.

"Congratulations, Riley," one of the Silvergates boys, Eric of Maeres, congratulated her. "Should have known you'd be the Champion if you were able to enter. You _are_ the best of our year. Well, if you need any help with your Charms, you know who to ask."

"Thanks, Eric," Riley said, nodding gratefully.

There were also many congratulations from the Gryffindors, as well, including Fred and George.

"We heard one of your schoolmates put your name in," Fred said with an envious smile. "Nice, though, you being able to compete when you're only fifteen."

"Yeah," George said, looking equally proud. "Good luck. Wish we could be with you."

Riley smiled. "Glad you guys aren't mad, after my harping you guys on that potion."

Fred shook his head. "Nah, we're just glad that a Gryffindor gets to participate. And if a Silvergates student has to participate, at least it's one we like."

Riley smiled, relaxing. She nodded and then heard a familiar voice.

"Well, well, wonders never cease."

Riley spun around and smiled when she saw Aria standing behind her. "Come on," Aria laughed, pulling Riley away by the arm. She was laughing as she dragged Riley up to the girls' dormitory. Riley was surprised to find that the girls' dormitory was empty, completely deserted. Riley felt a sudden relief at being in some semblance of peace with the promise of rest.

Aria smiled and looked Riley up and down. "There are no visible signs of beatings or curse marks, so I take it Slater didn't beat the… you know, out of you." She frowned, suddenly looking serious. "He didn't expel you, did he?"

Riley shook her head. "Not yet. I've got until the end of the year, the end of the Tournament, to prove to him that it wasn't just a mistake that Aaron made. If we're allowed to return to the next tournament, we both get to stay. Otherwise, we're both gone."

Aria nodded and smiled. "I'm sure you'll do great. It's like I always say: Always take a step into the unknown, and if it's not too scary, go on forward. If it is too scary, grab the closest person to you and run with them in front of you."

Riley had to laugh. "First of all, that has absolutely nothing to do with anything. And second of all, you've _never_ said that."

Aria said briskly, "Oh well. Got to start coming up with random clichés that will never mean anything but are always used, just like those ones back home that really have no meaning or relevance to really any occasion but always seem pop in the most random and unimportant times."

Riley couldn't help but laughing. Aria really had the funniest and most random sense of timing in choosing when to bring out her rather long-winded and comical "words of wisdom."

Aria smiled and added, "Plus, it got you to laugh and relax." She nodded to the side. "Anyway, I'm going to go downstairs and celebrate with the others. You can stay up here and get some quiet, away from the babbling Gryffindors and our stupid male classmates." She walked over to the door and smiled back at Riley. "Get some sleep, Riley. I get the feeling you're going to need it."

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	6. Chapter 4: Weighing of The Wands

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Four: Weighing of the Wands

* * *

Harry walked into the office where he'd been instructed to go by Professor Dumbledore. He had no idea why he was there, but he guessed that it had something to do with being a Champion. After all, everything these days seemed to center around Harry being a Champion. Everyday classes and tasks seemed to be impossible these days, thanks to the misfortune of Harry being drawn as a Champion. Everyone was treating him differently, looking at him as though he was either a traitor or a god. Harry feared that he would go insane if he didn't find a way to keep people from staring at him as though they expected him to sprout wings. The only people that didn't see to harbor any hard feelings toward Harry were Hermione, Ginny, the Weasley twins, and the students from Silvergates, particularly Riley O'Malley.

The brown-haired, blue-eyed witch had shown Harry a surprising amount of respect and courtesy. She seemed completely at ease with herself and her surroundings, in spite of the fact that she had never been to Hogwarts before. She didn't show Harry any aggression over his being chosen, unlike Fleur Delacour, who made it very clear with her dagger-like eyes that she was not pleased about Harry being chosen. Viktor Krum ignored Harry most of the time, and Cedric simply nodded in general courtesy before walking away. Riley, however, seemed perfectly happy to carry on a conversation with Harry as though she had known him for years, which surprised Harry considering that they had only known one another for a few days. Still, he was surprised by how much he liked having her around; she was truly one of the most erratic people that he had ever met, which gave Harry an opportunity to laugh in spite of his ongoing depression and discomfort around others. She pulled out the most random and blunt comments that Harry had ever heard, seemingly unbothered by anyone's comments, no matter how offensive they could come across as. She seemed to have no filter to her mouth or mind whatsoever, and didn't seem to take offense to much. The looks in her eyes when she did become offended, however, were enough to tell Harry that she _wasn't_ the kind of person that you wanted to cross.

Harry was walking up to the room when a spell suddenly sent the door of the room blasting right off of its hinges; Harry barely had time to dodge the flying door before it hit him, his eyes following the door as it flew through the air. It went flying down the hallway and hit one of the walls, splintering into a million pieces while smoke flew after it, right from the office that Harry had been instructed to visit. Harry's eyes widened in shock, and as he looked back at the room, he saw Bagman standing near Riley, who was lowering her wand. As Harry hesitantly drew closer, he saw the rage burning in Riley's blue eyes, a rage that he had never believed could exist in someone who had seemed so polite and friendly most of the time. Now, she was the very picture of a Dark enemy, and Harry actually felt himself tremble in fear. Bagman was moving to stand in between Riley and a tall, slinky woman who was standing with a quill and piece of parchment floating nearby, the quill busy scribbling furiously across the page.

"Rita, maybe you should come back another time," Bagman said as he tried to lead Rita out of the room.

"But all I said was-" Rita began in a sweet, innocent voice as she tried to get closer to Riley, obviously more intrigued by Riley's act of aggression than she should have been.

"You print _one word about that _and I'll turn you into a dung beetle for the rest of your bloody life, and blow up the _Daily Prophet _while I'm at it!" Riley yelled, and without so much as raising her wand, the quill and paper that the woman had been levitating suddenly burst into flames.

"_Ahhh!_" Rita screamed in panic, jumping back.

"_Riley!_" Bagman exclaimed, though he looked more intrigued than angry as he stared at Riley's rage and power.

"Just try putting that out, Rita, and I'll take your hand off!" Riley yelled fiercely as she took a step forward, her eyes blazing. All that stopped her from attacking the woman and clawing her eyes out was Bagman, who held onto Riley by the wrist.

Harry watched with shock and awe as the quill and paper burned to ashes, which settled on the ground, and then looked back at Riley, who was being led away by Bagman. Rita stormed off, looking thrilled and terrified at the same time. Bagman said several things in a low voice to Riley, only to have Riley yank her arm away from him as he tried to console her, and she stormed off into Dumbledore's office. Once she was gone, Bagman sighed and lowered his head, only to look up and see Harry, which caused his face to turn from grief to thrill.

"Why, Harry!" Bagman exclaimed, walking over with a pleasant smile. "So nice to see you."

"Mr. Bagman, what just happened?" Harry asked, completely confused. "Who was that?"

"Rita Skeeter," Bagman said dismissively. "Big time journalist, come to write a story on each of the Champions, particularly you and Miss O'Malley. Unfortunately, Miss O'Malley wasn't in a very good mood today," he added as he glanced after where Riley had disappeared.

"She threatened to _blow up the **Daily Prophet**_," Harry pointed out disbelievingly. "I'd say that's worse than being in _just_ in a bad mood."

"Yes, yes, but that's not for _me_ to discuss with you," Bagman pointed out. "Just prepare yourself for Miss Skeeter's appearance later, because I'm _sure_ that she will be coming around to see you, too."

Harry wanted to discuss the previous event further, but he knew that it would be futile. Instead, he asked, "What am I doing here?"

"Oh, it's just the weighing of the wands," Bagman said casually. "Nothing to fret yourself over."

"The _what?_" Harry asked in surprise.

"Oh, yes," Bagman said, nodding. "We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems, you know, as they're your most important tools in the tasks ahead. The expert's upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot later, along with Miss Skeeter's piece on all of you."

"All right," Harry said skeptically, and then followed Bagman away into Dumbledore's office. As they walked in, Harry recognized the heads of the schools in the office, along with the other Champions. Viktor had a vacant expression on his face, as usual, Fleur looked grumpy like always, Riley looked extraordinarily pissed off – which intrigued Harry more than anything – and Cedric just had a genuine smile on his face as Harry entered.

Dumbledore looked over at Harry and said, "May I introduce Mr. Ollivander?" he said, taking his place at the judges' table and talking to the champions. "He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the tournament."

Harry looked around, and with a jolt of surprise saw an old wizard with large, pale eyes standing quietly by the window. Harry had met Mr. Ollivander before – he was the wand-maker from whom Harry had bought his own wand over three years ago in Diagon Alley.

"Mademoiselle Delacour, could we have you first, please?" said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the middle of the room. Fleur Delacour swept over to Mr. Ollivander and handed him her wand. "Hmm..." he said. He twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a number of pink and gold sparks. Then he held it close to his eyes and examined it carefully. "Yes," Ollivander said quietly, "nine and a half inches... inflexible... rosewood... and containing... dear me..."

"An 'air from ze 'ead of a veela," said Fleur with a proud rise of her chin. "One of my grandmuzzer's."

_So Fleur **is** part veela,_ thought Harry, making a mental not to tell Ron... and then he remembered that Ron was speaking to him. The idiot had become angry when he learned that Harry's name had been submitted, refusing to believe that Harry was being honest about not having submitted his own name. In fact, the only people that seemed to believe him were Hermione, Ginny, and Riley, who treated him as normally as though nothing had happened. Something told Harry that Riley's understanding was due to her similar situation, but also that while she might have been suspicious if she _hadn't_ been chosen, she would have still given him the benefit of a doubt.

"Yes," said Mr. Ollivander, "Yes, I've never used veela hair myself, of course. I find it makes for rather temperamental wands... however, to each his own, and if this suits you..."

Mr. Ollivander ran his fingers along the wand, apparently checking for scratches or bumps, then he muttered, "_Orchideous!_" and a bunch of flowers burst from the wand tip.

"Very well, very well, it's in fine working order," said Mr. Ollivander, scooping up the flowers and handing them to Fleur with her wand. "Mr. Diggory, you next."

Fleur glided back to her seat, smiling at Cedric as he passed her.

"Ah, now, this is one of mine, isn't it?" said Mr. Ollivander, with much more enthusiasm, as Cedric handed over his wand. "Yes, I remember it well. Containing a single hair from the tail of a particularly fine male unicorn... must have been seventeen hands, nearly gored me with his horn after I plucked his tail. Twelve and a quarter inches... ash... pleasantly springy. It's in fine condition. You treat it regularly?"

"Polished it last night," said Cedric, grinning.

Harry looked down at his own wand. He could see finger marks all over it. He gathered a fistful of robe from his knee and tried to rub it clean surreptitiously. Several gold sparks shot out of the end of it. Fleur Delacour gave him a very patronizing look, and Riley smiled, clearly trying not to laugh. Harry stopped, but was glad to see that Riley had relaxed somewhat.

Mr. Ollivander sent a stream of silver smoke rings across the room from the tip of Cedric's wand, pronounced himself satisfied, and then said, "Miss O'Malley."

Riley reached back underneath her black sleeveless vest and pulled out her dark wand, a deep brown color that was absolutely beautiful for a wand. She walked over and held it out to Mr. Ollivander, who looked at it with interest.

Mr. Ollivander turned the wand over in his hand and said with surprise, "I don't believe I know the maker of this wand."

"That's because the maker didn't make very many," Riley said with a dismissive shrug. "_I_ made it, with the help of the witch that ran the orphanage that I grew up in. My mother had a book with instructions on the basic composition of wands, and I decided that it would be worth the try. It's served me well these past five years."

"Ah, yes. Helen O'Malley," Mr. Ollivander said wistfully. "I remember her well. That sounds _exactly _like something she would have done." He ran his fingers over the wood and said, "A fang from a Hungarian Horntail, how interesting. Much more powerful and temperamental than _I_ would have dared to use, but if you're Helen's daughter, I can see how you could handle it." Riley smiled slightly, looking both proud and nostalgic. Mr. Ollivander continued to say, "Eleven and a quarter inch... cherry... beautifully polished and kept..." He raised an eyebrow as he looked at Riley, a questionable look in his eyes. "Some very interesting spells you've conjured with this, I might say." He looked down at Riley's right wrist, and Riley blinked up at him, her gaze suddenly hardening. Mr. Ollivander suddenly held Riley's wand out in front of him and said loudly, "_Aquius draco!_"

There was suddenly a powerful wave of energy that ran through the room as a wave of water poured out of the tip of the wand, the power seeming to knock several of the people in the room backward. Even Ollivander seemed surprised by the power with which the wand worked, though Riley stood still, her arms folded as she watched her wand at work. The water at the tip of the wand spiraled around in the air until it took on the form of a dragon, even featured visible, even the feathers and eyes. It opened its eyes and let out a roar, only to disappear when Ollivander gave a wave of his water, the water disappearing altogether and not even falling to the ground.

Mr. Ollivander turned to face Riley and held the wand out, saying, "You have a very good wand there, Miss O'Malley. If you were able to continue producing wands like that, you would make a very good wand-maker someday. See me if you're ever interested in working for me."

"I might just do that," Riley said, taking her wand and slipping it into her back pocket before backing away, looking satisfied, not arrogant, but satisfied.

Everyone was silent for a second, still caught by surprise from the show a moment ago, even Dumbledore, and Mr. Ollivander woke them all from their thoughts by saying, "Mr. Krum, if you please."

Viktor Krum got up from where he had been sitting and slouched, round-shouldered and duck-footed, over toward Mr. Ollivander. He thrust out his wand and stood scowling, with his hands in the pockets of his robes.

"Hmm," said Mr. Ollivander, "This is a Gregorvitch creation, unless I'm much mistaken? A fine wand-maker, though the styling is never quite what I... however..." He lifted the wand and examined it minutely, turning it over before his eyes. "Yes... hornbeam and dragon heartstring?" he shot at Krum, who nodded. "Rather thicker than one usually sees. Quite rigid... ten and a quarter inches... _Avis_!"

The hornbeam wand let off a blast like a gun, and a number of small, twittering birds flew out of the end and through the open window into the watery sunlight.

"Good," said Mr. Ollivander, handing Krum back his wand. "Which leaves... Mr. Potter."

Harry got to his feet and walked past Krum to Mr. Ollivander. He handed over his wand.

Nostalgia pierced Harry as he waited for Mr. Ollivander to finish with his wand. Harry looked over at Riley and saw that she was staring off into space, running her left hand over her right wrist, clearly thinking hard. He wondered what Mr. Ollivander and Riley had been thinking when discussing her wand. What had that been about? What was it about Riley that was such a mystery to everyone, and that made her seem so dark and distant?

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A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	7. Chapter 5: Draco

A/N: And here we are, the sixth part of this story, the one that no one has read yet. I hope that anyone who has managed to read my story has liked what they've read so far, but here is the next chapter, which will center around Riley. Yes, I realize that having the characters of the story like the original characters is going to seem very cliche-ish, but I had fun planning the plot of this story out with my best friend, so here we go.

A/N 2: Okay, this is going to seem really random, and I doubt that anyone will ever pay attention to it in the future – if anyone reads these chapters at all – but I've actually gone through and updated every single chapter through chapter eleven today, and I intend to do this to every chapter of every Harry Potter fanfic that I've written. You see, in my writing process, I tend to get started on one sentence, and then a thought will occur to me later, and I'll start on it but forget to go back later, so there are several sentences that I've found and repaired where I never actually finished them, or I accidentally referred to names where I meant other people. Anyway, let's just say that all spelling mistakes should be corrected before long, and all chapters should be completed. For example, the second chapter through when Riley meets Draco Malfoy was pretty much added today, and definitely wasn't there before. But I feel that it's important to have Riley learn more about her parents' past at Hogwarts while she happens to be there, especially since they're brought up several times throughout this story.

Please R&R

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Five: Draco

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Riley sighed, closing her eyes briefly as she listened to the sound of wind making its way over the plains surrounding Hogwarts. She couldn't help but smile as she opened her eyes and looked around, seeing the age and school for its beauty. Standing there, she couldn't help but wonder if this place had looked any differently a thousand years ago, back when her ancestors had first ran this school. Her parents had attended Hogwarts, of course, but Riley had never heard any stories or been given any information regarding what their lives were like here. She was determined to learn as much as possible about their lives while she was here at Hogwarts, and somehow, just being here made her feel closer to them.

Riley made her way down the hallway where she had been standing for several minutes, staring out over the Hogwarts grounds. She walked with her hands in her back pockets, her left hand next to her wand. She made her way down the halls, saying hello to the students that passed by, even if she didn't recognize them or know who they were. Finally, she found herself standing in a hallway filled with trophies and group photographs from different clubs. It seemed that the entire hallway was dedicated to promoting different clubs throughout the school, pictures of students going back more than fifty years in each section.

Riley stopped when she reached the Quidditch pictures and trophies. Looking back twenty years, Helen could see the team photos of the Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch teams. In the position of Gryffindor Quidditch Keeper was tall, handsome man with green eyes and jet-black hair. In the position of Beater on the Slytherin team was a woman who looked almost identical to Riley herself, including the blue eyes that had been passed down for several generations through Riley's mother's side of the family. They were both standing there and smiling proudly. Riley could look back through the pictures, right up to her parents' fourth year at Hogwarts, where Riley was surprised to see that her father didn't have black hair, but instead he had sandy blonde/brown hair.

_I don't even want to know how that happened, _Riley thought to herself with a smile and a roll of her eyes.

It had been a day since her wand had been weighed by Mr. Ollivander. So many things had happened that day that she could barely comprehend it. First, Rita Skeeter and her nosiness and about made Riley kill her. She didn't want to, but what had happened in her past and the reason why she always wore a black leather bracelet over her right wrist was her business, and no one else's. She had no intention of letting anyone know what had gone on in her past, and in the past of her ancestors. It was none of their business. That, and then it was brought up all over again when Mr. Ollivander examined her wand. She didn't know how or why, but she had heard tales of wand-makers and their strange ability to see what spells a wand had done in its past, and when he'd looked into her wand, he'd seen something that she could barely believe, the one thing she wanted to hide about herself. That, plus the effect that the power of her spell had had on everyone had made her day more than interesting, but less than disastrous. No one here knew what she was capable of, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Riley walked down the hallway, stopping only to look out between the tall and mighty pillars that seemed to guard the castle. The grassy ground went out for about thirty feet before dropping and forming a hill that went down for as far as the eye could see. There was a small hut and some animals that roamed freely, and students who walked along the path as they made their way from class to class.

Hogwarts was an interesting place indeed. Riley had grown accustomed to Silvergates's tall and majestic gates of solid silver with gold etched into it, writing Latin words that said, "Welcome, all who seek to understand the world of magic." Silvergates was a place that was nonparallel, the only school of magic in America. Part of Riley missed it, but another part of her felt so much more at ease here.

Aria and the others had taken the day off to go around and snoop through the Hogwarts grounds, to try to get to know their opponents and spy on them at the same time. Aria had also been fascinated by Hogwarts' Potions professor, Professor Snape, and she was intent on seeing him at work, with the hope that she might learn something while on this trip. She'd heard of him from over in America, and wanted to compare notes and ideas.

Riley had to smile as she thought of Aria, her best friend. She'd known Aria since they were little, and no one else had ever stuck by her like Aria had. At the age of twelve, they were sent to their firsts year at schools of magic; Riley had gone to Bulgaria, to Durmstrang, while Aria went to Beauxbatons. Many of the girls here for this tournament knew Aria, and it gave Aria a change to catch up on her French, while seeing the Bulgarians gave Riley the chance to catch up on her own native language. Riley frowned as she thought of Viktor, Karkaroff and Durmstrang. She'd actually loved that school, until Karkaroff expelled her and banished her with the understanding that she was a freak of nature who could not be trusted. He had devoted his life to making hers miserable while she was at Durmstrang, and frankly, Riley had been lucky to find her way into Silvergates at the age of fourteen, her First Year at Silvergates. Beauxbatons had refused to accept Riley, and when news came that Slater was willing to take a chance on her, Aria withdrew herself from Beauxbatons and joined Riley in America. That was where they had started, many years ago in that orphanage, and that was where they had ended up once again. They were best friends, and no one, not even Karkaroff, had been able to change that. Riley had no doubt that Aria would help her in this tournament.

Riley heard footsteps and turned her head to see five students walking down the hallway, Hogwarts students. Three were tall boys with brown hair, one fatter than the others, one was a girl with blonde hair and squinty eyes, and the last person was a boy with blonde hair that had been slicked backward so that it clung to his head. As he looked at Riley, she saw right into his clear blue eyes, which could have rivaled hers in their blue-ness, but hers were like ice, while his were just very cold. Riley recognized his robes as belonging to Slytherin, just like his friends'.

The boy stopped, looked at Riley with clearly interested eyes, and he said to his friends, "Go on. I'll catch up with you later."

The boys looked at their friend in surprise, then over at Riley, and smiled before leading their girl friend away, who looked both confused and surprised. Riley raised an eyebrow as she looked at the boy. While she'd been wearing her robes and formal-wear the night before, she was wearing a white tank-top and black sleeveless vest, along with blue jeans and black and grey sneakers. It was a normal outfit for Riley to wear when she was comfortable, though anyone else would have called her insane for wearing it.

The boy walked over and smiled as he said in a friendly voice, "You must be one of the foreigners."

"Riley O'Malley," Riley said with a nod. "I'm from Silvergates."

"O'Malley?" the boy asked in surprise as he looked at the photos on the wall. "As in Stephen O'Malley's daughter? Stephen O'Malley, the Gryffindor Keeper from twenty-some years ago?"

"That's right," Riley said with a proud smile.

An intrigued smile grew across the boy's face as he narrowed his eyes at the picture of Riley's mom, only to look back at Riley and observe, "Your mother would be Helen Mask, then? The Slytherin Beater and Seeker?"

"She became Helen O'Malley when she married my father, but yes."

"From what I understand, she was a hell of a Beater and Seeker."

"I'm glad to hear that their names have lived in infamy." _In more ways than you seem to know,_ she thought to herself, but chose not to say aloud.

The boy nodded in approval and said, "I've heard a great deal about your school, especially from my father."

"Really?" Riley asked with interest, never having heard this line before. "And what all have you heard?"

"A great deal about its history, how Slater's a madman, and yet how Silvergates is rising to the top of the chain in their Transfiguration department." The boy walked over and set a hand on the rail, standing about three feet away from Riley and looking at her with a casually friendly look.

Riley felt slightly impressed. "You're right, on all of those accounts," she said, setting her right in her vest pocket, while the other hand sat on the rail, her weight shifted to her left. "And you are?"

"Draco Malfoy," the boy said, holding his right hand out to Riley.

Riley shook Draco's hand, noticing the firmness of his shake, and she noted that he was confident in his identity and believed that he was of a certain stature. She could have guessed that by the way he carried himself, but the handshake confirmed that. Riley smiled and said, "Nice to meet you." She pulled her hand back and set it in her vest pocket again.

"So, what House are you in at Silvergates?" Draco asked, clearly interested.

"Slytherin."

That seemed to catch Draco's attention quickly. "Really?" he asked, sounding surprised and interested. "Does that mean that you're a Pureblood?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, I am," Riley admitted, not seeing the relevance of this question, but not about to admit that out loud.

"What's your favorite subject?" Draco asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Definitely Transfigurations," Riley admitted with a confident nod. "But I'm also really good at Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms."

"Well, maybe you could help me out with some of my classes," Draco suggested.

Riley shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe you could help me train for the First Task."

Draco smiled and nodded, his gaze warm as he said, "I'd be happy to. Just let me know when you want to practice, and I'll bring my wand and textbooks."

"Sounds good," Riley said with a nod of approval. "Why don't you come to the library tomorrow when you get a chance, and I'll see about helping you there?"

"Sounds perfect," Draco said brightly. "It's a date." He shook hands with Riley, then nodded to her in good-bye before walking past her and away. "I'll see you tomorrow!" he called out over his shoulder.

Riley rolled her eyes and smiled in amusement as he walked away, only to be surprised when she saw Fred Weasley standing at the end of the hallway, an eyebrow raised as he watched. "Fred," Riley said in surprise as she walked toward the Gryffindor twin.

"What were you doing talking to Malfoy?" Fred asked in surprise. "He's a Slytherin."

"So am I," Riley pointed out. "He was just being nice, talking to me about classes, Silvergates and my parents; no big deal."

"You mean he was actually _nice_ to you?" Fred asked in surprise. "That's a first. Must be because you're a Pureblood and in Slytherin."

"Probably," Riley said, shrugging with a complete lack of interest, "Not that I care. If he wants to play favorites, that's his choice. It doesn't change my opinion, and that is that it doesn't matter whether your family is composed completely of witches and wizards."

"Glad to hear it," Fred said, nodding in approval. "Want to go get something to eat? It's lunchtime."

Riley smiled and said, "I'd be happy to. Then we can work on your Transfigurations. McGonagall was _ecstatic_ to hear that I might be able to help you, ecstatic and skeptical."

Fred rolled his eyes and said, "Of course you would have met with McGonagall already."

"With her abilities, you bet I went straight to her," Riley said, smiling with her eyes glinting with amusement. "We've been here for three days. That doesn't mean that I'm going to sit around and do nothing in that entire time. I mean, there's so much to do here; how could I just sit around?"

"Ask the other Champions," Fred pointed out.

_That reminds me,_ Riley thought as she laughed and walked away with Fred. _I'm supposed to meet with Viktor the day after tomorrow. Things are definitely going to get interesting here at Hogwarts._

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A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	8. Chapter 6: Private Lessons

A/N: On the last chapter, instead of saying that it's three days, make it six. I updated it and deleted the chapter before remembering that I had the days wrong. Thank you so much, and here's the next chapter. I'm ecstatic to see that people are reading this, and I can only hope that you will all begin to review it.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Six: Private Lessons

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Riley scribbled down some notes of hers as she turned a black cube in her hand over, feeling its surface beneath her fingertips. Both excitement and puzzlement were plaguing her mind as she scribbled words and pictures down in the book, things she'd observed and things she wanted to remember to/not to do.

"What are you doing, starting your own library?"

Riley jumped in surprise when she looked up and saw Draco walking over, pulling his backpack off of his shoulder and setting it down on the table that Riley was working on. It was a long table made out of oak that must have been thirty feet long, stretching half-way across the library. Riley looked around her and saw that she had half a dozen books on the table, all open and with a bottle of ink in front of her, half-used.

Riley set her quill down on the book and shook her head, turning the cube in her hand over and over. "No, not at all. These are books that I've either written or am reading in order to make spells and potions that work better than ones that already exist, or ones that I've created myself."

"Such as?" Draco asked, sitting down in the chair beside Riley's.

Riley handed the small black cube in her hand over to Draco. "Feel this."

Draco took the cube in his right hand and blinked in surprise and alarm when he felt it beneath his fingers. He turned it over and ran his fingertips over the side of it, looking even more puzzled as he did. "What is this?" he asked in confusion.

"Tell me what it feels like," Riley said.

"It feels like water," Draco said. "I touch it and it feels wet and cold, but it's solid." He looked up at Riley and asked, "How can that be?"

"It's solid liquid, that's true," Riley pointed out. "But I've added a mixture of unicorn blood and dragon's breath and this is what happened. It's solidified, and appears to have no purpose other than being a nice paperweight, but I want to know why it transformed like that. I'm going to take it to Professor McGonagall later, but I have no explanation. I've been through over thirty Potions textbooks, but I can't find any explanations. It's like no one has ever tried to do anything like this before."

"You mean you mix ingredients together with no idea what's going to happen to them?" Draco asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Riley said, shrugging. "I do it all of the time. I have two books for every subject, though not all of them are full. One is always a book on spells, charms and potions that already exist, with my own notes and observations about the way and reason they react in the way they do, and the second is always a collection that I've created on my own."

"You create your own spells?" Draco asked, sounding intrigued.

"Oh, yeah," Riley said, sounding completely interested in what she was talking about. "In fact, it's a requirement for all students in their seventh year before they graduate and come of age."

"But you're only a fourth year," Draco pointed out.

Riley shrugged. "Aria and I began doing advanced work from the very beginning, kind of like your Hermione Granger. Difference is that our school encourages it and allows us to take extremely advanced classes before we're ready for it year-wise.

"Mind if I take a look at some of those books?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow with interest.

"Not at all," Riley said, reaching over and picking up her black backpack, which was almost identical to Draco's, except that it had the Silvergates' school symbol in the center of the flap, and the Slytherin symbol in the top right-hand corner. She opened the bag and pulled out two books, both of which were at least an inch thick, and handed them to Draco. "Here are some books on Transfigurations and Defense Against the Dark Arts. They're just comments on how you can do things better, and what there is about spells that is true or not true. Don't question the notes I've made, just do them and you'll surprise all of your teachers."

"Thanks," Draco said, sounding surprised as he took the books. He set one in his book and flipped through the pages of the Defense Against the Dark Arts one. He raised an eyebrow and asked in surprise, "Silent spells?"

Riley nodded. "You can keep those for a little while, just as long as you promise me that you won't use them to hurt others."

Draco looked up at Riley in surprise and shrugged as he said carelessly, "Of course, I won't." He flipped through the pages, and Riley watched his eyes as he began to read, looking down at the words like they were air to a dying man, exactly what he wanted and he was willing to do anything for them.

"Ready to start?" Riley asked, wondering if she'd just made a mistake. There was some extraordinarily strong spells in that book, and some that could be dangerous if put in the wrong hands. In fact, that was why she hadn't given Draco the book of spells that she'd created herself. Most of them were defensive spells, though there were some protection ones. She barely knew Draco, and what she'd seen of him so far had been good, but she wasn't willing to put the spells that she'd created in the hands of someone that she didn't know and didn't trust. She was nowhere near that point with Draco.

"Oh, yeah," Draco said, closing the book and putting it into his backpack. When he pulled his hand back out, Riley saw his black wand in it. Draco smiled as he began to spin the wand in his fingers like a baton and said, "Let's get started."

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"Get it now?" Riley asked, looking over at Malfoy as the blast of smoke began to disappear, along with the falcon that had been present within it.

They'd been working in the library for over three hours, and Riley had noted to herself that Draco had mediocre skills in just about every subject. The only one that he seemed even somewhat knowledgeable in was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that was because he knew a lot of spells and curses. Almost every spell that he knew had a snake-like or dark effect. Riley guessed that had to do with his father, who she'd heard a lot about, including the fact that he had been one of the Dark Lord's greatest supporters. Still, Riley couldn't fault Draco for that. He seemed like a nice guy, and interested in learning. They laughed a lot together, and seemed to absorb all of the information she presented him, interested in everything that she had to offer.

"I think so," Draco said, and then added, "Although, I'm not sure that we should do this in here in the future."

"You wanna keep doing this?" Riley asked in surprise. "I figured this would be a one-time deal and then we'd be done."

"Well, you're actually helping me out a lot more than I expected," Draco pointed out. "I mean, I know that you said you were good, but I completely underestimated you."

"Don't worry about it," Riley said, shrugging. "It's a common mistake. Most people do."

"So, would you be willing to continue helping me?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, when you're not working on being a Champion."

Riley hesitated, then rolled her eyes and said, "All right. I can help you out every other day at this time, but instead of doing this here, why don't we do it somewhere else? I'm not sure that the librarian will be thrilled if we blow up her books or anything else."

"Why don't you come to the Slytherin common room, and we can work there?" Draco asked, smiling. "I'm sure the others could learn from what you teach me as well."

Riley felt somewhat overwhelmed by the compliments and shrugged. "Sure, why not? Find me here the day after tomorrow, and you can show me how to get there."

"Great," Draco said. He looked down at his watch and frowned. "Well, I've got to go. Potions class starts in ten minutes." He smiled at Riley and said, "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," Riley said, shrugging.

Draco frowned as he started to walk away, after having gathered his books in his hands, and then stopped to turn around and say, "I don't know if I should be telling you this, but because you've agreed to help me out, I'm going to anyway."

Riley shrugged and said, "Go on."

"Well, it's not a solid fact, because I haven't checked it out myself," Draco explained. "But I've heard this rumor from the Bulgarians, that the forest near Hagrid's hut is a good place to go when you want to think about the tasks, especially the first one."

Riley smiled, understanding the hint, and she nodded before saying, "Thanks." Draco walked away, and Riley smiled, her eyes narrowed knowingly as she leaned back casually in her chair and watched him leave. "You have no idea," she said in a sickly sweet voice.

Aria was sitting in one of the chairs in the Gryffindor common room, shuffling through the pages of a Potions book that Professor Snape had lent her. He wasn't anywhere near as pleasant as the Potions teacher from Silvergates, but she couldn't fault him for his abilities. They'd had a debate today in class about a Healing Potion, and in the end they'd both been surprised by the discovery that they were _both _wrong. It had been the seventh-year's Potions class, and everyone in the class had been amazed at Aria's skills and knowledge, and Aria secretly looked forward to the day that she got Riley into one of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes with the older students, along with the Transfigurations classes. That, or she'd show her skills in the Tournament tasks. Aria wasn't sure which would come first.

"Aria," a voice said. Aria looked up and blinked in surprise when she saw Riley walking over, pulling off her backpack and setting it on one of the chairs near Aria.

"Hey, Riley," Aria said in surprise, looking back at the book. "Where have you been all day? You know, Snape is a total jerk, but he's really-"

"Forget about Snape," Riley said abruptly, shaking her head. "I need your help."

Aria looked up at Riley in surprise. Riley wasn't usually this hyped or urgent. Something was up, something big. Aria blinked in surprise when she saw the pupils in Riley's eyes begin to widen. "What's up?" she asked in alarm. "What do you want?"

"I need your help with something," Riley said with an arrogant smirk, "And it requires leaving the castle."

"Where are we going?" Aria asked as she stood up, setting the book down on the chair behind her. Seeing the look in Riley's eyes, she was no longer thinking about Snape or Potions or anything else. She felt adrenaline begin to pump through her body, and she smiled mischievously as she asked, "What's the plan?"

"The forest," Riley said, a smile on her face. As she spoke, Aria saw that her teeth had begun to grow, her four canine teeth looking somewhat sharper and pointier than they had a moment ago. Riley smirked and said, "We're gonna take a walk in the woods."

Aria chuckled, her eyes narrowing knowingly. That was all that she needed in order to be convinced. The pupils in them began to dilate as they took on a slitted, triangular form. She drew her lips back in a smirk as she said in a knowing growl, "Let's do it."

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A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	9. Chapter 7: A Day In Hogsmeade & Surprise

A/N: 333 hits in so little time? YAHOOO! I'm happy, but no one is reviewing me, which makes me kind of sad. Please review me, people, as I hope that you will continue to read my story. I would love some feedback, and since it doesn't take that long, I hope you will let me know how you feel about my story. Once again, thank you and please R&R

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Seven: A Day In Hogsmeade and a Big Surprise

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Fred rolled his neck as he stepped out of Potions class, feeling as though he'd just been through the most boring day of his entire life. Then again, he thought that every day that he had a Potions class. Fred waited as Jordan and George came out of the class, discussing the task that was coming up in a few days. Fred smiled as he listened to them discuss Harry's chances against Cedric. They definitely thought he had an advantage, seeing as he was from Gryffindor and he was, well, Harry.

Thinking of the tasks, Fred's mind suddenly ran to Riley. He'd been spending a lot of time with the Silvergates girl recently, just about every day in fact. She'd been helping him out with his homework a lot, spending every night after dinner in the common room together and working on every subject. Unlike Hermione with Ron and Harry, though, she didn't do his homework for him. She helped him understand what he was doing, which wasn't necessarily what he wanted, but he knew that when it came time for finals, it would make things a lot better for him, so he was still grateful. Plus, he enjoyed spending time with her and discussing how stupid Aria and George were around one another. Aria was completely oblivious to George's infatuation with her, and yet George was in total denial about the whole thing.

"Hey, guys," a voice said, and Fred saw Hermione and Ron run over. "Word's out that third years and above can go into Hogsmeade today. Wanna head out now?"

Fred nodded. "Sounds good to me. Harry gonna meet us there?"

Hermione nodded. "He'll be heading out in about an hour, when his next class is over."

It was common knowledge that Harry Potter didn't have loving guardians like the rest of them did, so his aunt and uncle never signed the permission slip that allowed him to go off of school grounds. In order to go anyway, Harry had to sneak out under his Invisibility Cloak.

"Wait, what about the foreigners?" Jordan asked. "Can Aria and Riley come, too?"

"I don't see why not," George said, shrugging.

"Well, _I'd_ love to come," a voice said, and everyone turned to see Aria walking over, wearing a grey and black sweatshirt and black pants and shoes. She smiled, her hair pulled back in a ponytail and her eyes shining as she said, "As for Riley, she headed out there about an hour ago with some other kids."

"_Other kids_?" Fred asked in surprise. "Who?"

"The Slytherins, I think," Aria said with a shrug. "I was heading in to help Hagrid out with his first-year class when I saw her walking away with that blonde kid, Draco I think."

"She's hanging out with _Malfoy_?" George asked in astonishment.

Fred felt his blood boil in surprise, but it wasn't jealousy. Draco was using her, he had to be. It was the only scenario that made sense. He and Riley had nothing in common other than that Riley was a Pureblood. That, plus the fact that she was a foreigner, was one of the Champions, and was suitable for dating in his father's eyes would make her an ideal target.

"Yeah," Aria said uncertainly. "She's with him just about every other day, helping him out with his studies during his free period. Why? Is that not okay?"

"Malfoy's a total rat," Hermione explained. "She needs to be careful around him, or she may find herself in some major trouble."

"She'll be fine," Fred said, surprising everyone else. "Riley can take care of herself, and I've talked to her about this stuff before. She knows that when she's around Malfoy, she needs to be careful."

"Well, you're right about her being able to take care of herself," Aria said with a confident nod. "And don't worry about her; she knows every trick in the book, and isn't about to allow anyone to distract her or make a fool out of her. I mean, the First Task is only three days away. Those kids invited her yesterday and she figured that it would be a good chance for her to relax."

"It is," Fred said, only half-believing what he was saying himself. "There's nothing to worry about."

Riley wanted to scream in annoyance as she listened to Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy go on and on about nothing at all. The three seemed to enjoy ranting just for the sake of it. Draco was walking at Riley's right side, not saying anything as he stared on ahead. He leaned over and whispered, "Ignore them. They'll go on forever if they think that it'll impress you."

Riley smiled, her eyes twinkling in amusement, and she said nothing. She looked around the town and marveled at all of the shops. Kids were walking up and down the street, talking among themselves and laughing happily. She recognized kids from Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, all enjoying the day for what it was, and she couldn't blame them. It was bright and sunny out, but her excitement at this place was countered by her nerves of Tuesday.

"Hey, guys," Draco said to his friends, sensing Riley's nerves. "Why don't you go to the Hog's Head and get us some butterbeers?"

"What are you two gonna do?" Crabbe asked, confused.

"I'm going to take Riley and go get a ton of stuff from the sweets shop," Draco said with a look at his friends. "We'll be there shortly." Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy shrugged and walked off, leaving Draco and Riley alone.

"Thank you," Riley said gratefully, rolling her eyes back. "I don't know how much longer I could stand hearing about how annoying the Hufflepuffs are."

"Those three can tend to go on forever," Draco agreed. He smiled warmly as he nodded to Riley and said, "Glad you accepted my invitation. Wasn't sure if you would."

"Well, I figured that a day out of the castle would do me good," Riley said, shrugging. "Plus, I like you, and I figured who better to go with?"

"Well, I wasn't sure if you would go with us or wait for the Gryffindor lot," Draco pointed out.

Riley shrugged. "I didn't know who was going, if _anyone_, so I figured I'd go with you guys, since I've been hanging out with you all a lot recently."

Draco nodded. "Consider this payment for helping me out with my classes. My teachers have never been so impressed than they have been with the work I've turned in during these last two weeks."

"I'm glad," Riley said with a sincere smile. "Just keep it up and by the time that finals come, you'll ace them all without any problems."

"Yeah," Draco agreed, and then said brightly, "I looked in those books of yours, by the way."

"You did?" Riley asked in surprised. "That's great. Any of it help you at all?"

"You kidding?" Draco asked, smiling. "I think that McGonagall was _actually_ _impressed_ when I transfigured a cat into a bookshelf when she asked me to."

"That's great," Riley said, pleased. "I'm glad that it's helping you out."

"And that Defense Against the Dark Arts stuff is interesting," Draco continued, sounding thoroughly interested. "I never thought that reading about spells and practicing them without any reason would be so interesting or fun."

"Well, keep it up," Riley said with an encouraging smile. "I can make a copy of that book for you."

"That'd be great," Draco said, smiling brightly at Riley. "You know, I'm really glad you decided to come today."

Riley smiled back and admitted in a sincere tone, "So am I."

"Hey," Draco said, as though a thought had suddenly popped into his head. "Did you ever check the forest out?"

"Oh, yeah," Riley said, nodding and looking forward. "I went a week or so ago."

"And?" Draco prompted.

"And, I checked it out," Riley said, a knowing grin on her face.

"_Come on_," Draco laughed. "You have to tell me what you found out. I haven't gone yet, because for once in my life, I'm trying to be good."

Riley shook her head. "There are three days left, Draco. You can wait."

"You're truly evil, you know that?" Draco laughed.

Riley shrugged. "Comes with the territory, and the DNA." Before Draco could comment, Riley looked around; she blinked in surprise when she saw Aria, Hermione, Ron, Fred and George walking down the street, soon followed by Lee Jordan. "I'll meet you at the Hog's Head, all right?" she asked, looking at Draco.

Draco looked over at the Gryffindors, and then back at Riley with an understanding look in his eyes. Riley knew that he didn't get along with her Gryffindor friends well, but she also knew that he wouldn't talk badly about them around her or tell her not to see them. He nodded and walked off, promising to buy her a ton of good stuff from the candy store.

Riley walked over to where Fred was waiting for her, outside of one of the saloons. He'd caught sight of her and was now waiting with his hands in his pockets as she finished talking to Draco and walked over. Riley smiled as she drew closer, only to see his cold and empty face. "Glad you guys made it," Riley said. "Wasn't sure if you were going to."

"That why you came with the Slytherin lot?" Fred asked, his voice empty.

Riley nodded. "Basically, yeah. I wanted to head out as soon as possible, you know, to relieve the stress."

"Worried about the task on Tuesday?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow knowingly.

"Wouldn't _you_ be?" Riley retorted in disbelief.

Fred shrugged and said, "Just didn't realize that you'd been spending so much time with the Slytherin kids, that's all."

"They need help with their school work," Riley said carelessly. "It started out as a one-time thing, and then I agreed to help Draco out every other day during his free period." She shrugged and rolled her eyes as she insisted, "It's no big deal, Fred. I'm just helping him out, and he brought me here as a thank-you."

Fred shrugged again and said, "You don't need to justify yourself to me, Riley. It's not like we're dating or romantically involved, or anything. I was just curious, and slightly concerned. I didn't even know that we could do this today, and when I asked if you wanted to come, Aria told us."

Riley shrugged and said, "I was leaving the Slytherin dormitory last night and Draco invited me. I'm not interested him as more than a friend, but there _is_ one thing that I will say about him." Her voice was serious as she looked into Fred's eyes and said, "He doesn't bad-mouth you guys when I'm around, and he doesn't try to stop me from interacting with you guys."

Fred frowned, sighed and said, "You can hang out with whoever you want, but I think that you have a lot more options that are _a lot_ better than Malfoy."

"I understand," Riley said with a nod, "But it's like I said before; I'm not interested in him that way. He's a smart kid who could be a lot smarter if he applied himself, just like you. I help you out with your homework every night for three times _longer_ than I do with Draco. That's more than six times the amount of time that I spend with him, so there's no reason to feel that it's anything other than just casual."

Fred shrugged and said, "I guess. You'd better go meet up with those guys, 'cause I think they're waiting."

"Yeah, they are," Riley said, not comfortable with the cold sound to his voice.

Fred noticed Riley's discomfort and he said, "Really, Riley, I'll be okay. It'll just take some getting used to, having a friend who's also friends with the Slytherins."

Riley nodded, a little more at ease, and then asked, "You wanna work together tonight?"

Fred smiled and said, "Of course. I've got a six-page assignment in Potions due the day after tomorrow. Snape isn't exactly going easy on us, considering that we get out for an entire day." He frowned and admitted, "Then again, he never goes easy on us."

"I'm looking forward to it," Riley said, smiling. "I'll see you at dinner." With that, she turned around and walked off.

Fred hesitated as he walked Riley walk over to meet the Slytherin kids, who laughed and smiled when she walked over. He wasn't comfortable with her being around them so often, but he knew he had no right to interfere. He wasn't dating her, and frankly he had no interest. Still, there was something about her that told him that she was different than he saw her, that there was something about her that would not only surprise him, but scare him.

* * *

The grounds were very dark. Harry walked down the lawn toward the lights shining in Hagrid's cabin. The inside of the enormous Beauxbatons carriage was also lit up. Harry could hear Madame Maxime talking inside it as he knocked on Hagrid's front door.

"You there, Harry?" Hagrid whispered, opening the door and looking around.

"Yeah," said Harry, slipping inside the cabin and pulling the cloak down off his head. "What's up?"

"Got summat ter show yeh," Hagrid said with an excited smile.

There was an air of enormous excitement about Hagrid, even more than normal, Harry noticed. He was wearing a flower that resembled an oversized artichoke in his buttonhole. It looked as though he had abandoned the use of axle grease, but he certainly attempted to comb his air. Harry could see the comb's broken teeth tangled in it.

"What're you showing me?" Harry said warily, wondering if the skrewts had laid eggs, or Hagrid had managed to buy another giant three-headed dog off a stranger in a pub.

"Come with me, keep quiet, an' keep yerself covered with that cloak," said Hagrid. "We won' take Fang, he won' like it..."

"Listen, Hagrid, I can't stay long... I've got to be back up at the castle by one o'clock-"

But Hagrid wasn't listening. He was opening the cabin door and striding off into the night. Harry hurried to follow and found, to his great surprise, that Hagrid was leading him to the Beauxbatons carriage.

"Hagrid, what-"

"_Shh!_" said Hagrid quickly, and he knocked three times on the door bearing the crossed golden wands.

Harry watched as Madame Maxime opened the door and began to talk to Hagrid. Harry was barely paying attention, when he suddenly heard something, a rustle in the grass. He turned around and looked around him, sure that he'd heard something, but found that nothing was there. Harry felt strange being out here so late, and to hear something, but not see it, in the grass when he wasn't even supposed to be outside of the castle didn't bode well.

"Yeh're not s'posed ter know," Hagrid said, suddenly grabbing Harry's attention again.

"Of course not," said Madame Maxime, fluttering her long black eyelashes.

And still they walked, Harry getting more and more irritated as he jogged along in their wake, checking his watch every now and then. Hagrid had some harebrained scheme in hand, which made Harry miss Sirius that much more. If they didn't get there soon, he was going to turn around, go straight back to the castle, and leave Hagrid to enjoy his moonlit stroll with Madame Maxime... But then – when they had walked so far around the perimeter of the forest that the castle and the lake were out of sight, Harry heard something. Men were shouting up ahead... then came a deafening, earsplitting roar... Hagrid led Madame Maxime around a clump of trees and came to a halt. Harry hurried up alongside them - for a split second he thought he was seeing bonfires, and men darting around them – and then his mouth fell open.

_Dragons._

The moment that Harry thought that, he heard another rustle. This time, he was sure that he'd heard it. Harry turned his head and saw something in the darkness, only to be revealed by the light of the flames. They were eyes, cold blue eyes. But more so, it was the animal whose eyes was there that made Harry want to jump. It was a solid black dog, staring at him through cold eyes.

For a moment, Harry wondered if Sirius had made his way to Hogwarts, but after a moment, Harry realized that it wasn't Sirius. Sirius, as a dog, was scraggly and looked like he hadn't eaten in months. This wasn't a dog either, but a _wolf_. It was a beautiful wolf, though Harry couldn't tell the gender; its fur was sleek and well kept, very different from what Sirius was like when he was in his wolf form. Harry had never encountered a wolf before, but something about this wolf was both terrifying and familiar. The wolf stared at Harry for a moment, then looked back at the dragons, and then darted away, not making a single noise in the entire time.

Harry was still in awe over the wolf when he heard a voice, a familiar voice. Harry turned his head and was surprised to see a familiar wizard walking over. It was Charlie Weasley.

"All right, Hagrid?" Charlie panted, coming over to talk. "They should be okay now – we put them out with a Sleeping Draught on the way here, thought it might be better for them to wake up in the dark and the quiet – but, like you saw, they weren't happy, not happy at all-"

"What breed's you got here, Charlie?" said Hagrid, gazing at the closest dragon, the black one, with something close to reverence. Its eyes were still just open. Harry could see a strip of gleaming yellow beneath its wrinkled black eyelid.

"This is a Hungarian Horntail," said Charlie. "There's a Common Welsh Green over there, the smaller one – a Swedish Short-Snout, that blue-grey – and a Chinese Fireball, that's the red." He smiled over at Hagrid and then said, "And there's one final one that I think you're going to appreciate more than the others."

"Could it be?" Hagrid asked hopefully. "Is my baby here?"

"Yes, Hagrid," Charlie said, leading Hagrid away. Harry followed Charlie and Hagrid away, and his eyes widened in alarm when he saw a large, long-necked dragon with greyish-green coloring and wide, angry yellow eyes. "The Norwegian Richback, or as you like to call him, _Norbert_."

_Norbert? _Harry thought in shock. _The baby dragon from my first year?_

Harry remembered the dragon that he'd watched emerge from its shell during his first year at Hogwarts, when everything was still so new to him, so confusing. He hadn't known that dragons actually existed, so when he, Hermione and Ron watched the dragon come to life, it was more than just new to him. However, the wonderful experience had been cut short when Malfoy had interrupted the session, tattling on them and getting them all thrown into a detention that had brought Harry frightfully close to losing his life, as well as forcing Hagrid to give Norbert to Charlie, Ron's brother, to be sent to Romania to live in a colony. Harry had almost completely forgotten about the dragon, though it seemed that the dragon had grown from a baby into a full-fledged dragon, roaring and screaming into the night as though everything in the world was bad and angry.

Sure enough, Hagrid walked forward and said, "I recognize him, Charlie. It's my baby boy. Hello, Norbert! How are you?"

Norbert turned his head and suddenly opened up his mouth, letting out a huge blast out fire out of his mouth, one that almost hit Hagrid and sent him flying up against a tree.

"Stun him!" Charlie yelled angrily. "I want him stunned _now_!"

A moment later, Norbert was stunned and almost asleep, and though Harry would have been mad, Hagrid stood up and said happily, "What a big dragon he's turned into. You've done well with him, Charlie. He's so grown up now."

Charlie smiled awkwardly. "He's definitely become a great dragon, very protective of his mate's eggs."

"That's good," Hagrid said, nodding. "Take care of him, Charlie."

Harry's head began to spin. Facing dragons? What were they going to do, _fight_ them? Good grief, he wasn't ready. How could he possibly face a dragon? He was only fourteen, a _kid_! How could _he_ face a _dragon_?

Harry stormed into the common room, throwing his cloak onto the chair and covering his eyes with his hands. He would talk to Sirius soon, but right now he was so confused and overwhelmed that he could barely think.

"Harry?" a voice asked in surprise.

Harry turned his head and saw Riley walking over. He'd seen her earlier that day in Hogsmeade, hanging out with the Slytherin kids, and he hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her. Her hair was wet, like she'd just taken a shower, and she was wearing a black robe while using a white towel to dry her hair. Harry realized that this was the first time today that they had gotten the chance to talk, and how weird it must seem to her for him to be up this late.

Harry nodded to Riley and said, "Hey, Riley. What are _you_ doing up still?"

Riley shrugged. "Same as you, I guess." Harry looked at Riley in confusion and she said simply, "Worrying about the task."

"Riley, there's something about the task that you need to know," Harry said awkwardly, not sure of how to explain the truth.

Riley closed her eyes briefly and said gently, "Harry, I know."

Harry looked at Riley in surprise and he said, "You-"

"About the dragons?" Riley asked, surprising Harry even more. She nodded and said, "I got tipped off by one of the kids in the school, so I headed out and checked things out in the forest. I know about them, but I don't know the specifics."

"When'd you find out?" Harry asked in alarm.

"A few days ago," Riley said, shrugging. "I checked it out last night; figured it out quickly enough. I know that Fleur knows."

"So does Krum," Harry pointed out. "I don't think Cedric does, though."

Riley shrugged and said, "It won't mean anything to him if I tell him. You'd better let him know, just in case he doesn't already."

Harry nodded and said, "I'll do that."

Riley began to walk up the stairs toward the girl's dormitory when she stopped and turned around to say sincerely, "Thanks, Harry, for be willing to tell me when I wasn't ready to tell you. You'll do well in this tournament. I know you will." With that, she walked up the stairs, not giving Harry a chance to talk.

Harry watched as Riley left, suddenly feeling the stress of the day weighing down on him, along with the desire to talk to Sirius being stronger than ever.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	10. Chapter 8: The First Task

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Eight: The First Task

* * *

The day had finally come. It was Tuesday, the day of the first task, and no one seemed prepared. Five champions, and none of them were confident in what they knew was to come. Harry had told Riley the night before that he'd informed Cedric about the dragons, but Riley knew that that would barely prepare Cedric for what was to come. They were all given a wand, and she was pretty sure that none of them knew what they were going to do when they faced those dragons, not until they saw which dragon they were facing. The only one who seemed to have any idea was Harry, and Riley only knew that because she'd heard him practicing and talking with Hermione the night before. She knew that he planned on using his broom, but she didn't want to do that. She was a good flier, but she wasn't willing to risk her life and broom on her mediocre skills. No, she had to come up with a way to face those dragons on her own. She'd been out every night to see the dragons, to try to come up with a way to face them, yet the ideas that she was coming up with weren't enough. She was smart enough to know that.

Riley sat down on the couch inside of the tent that had been set up for the Champions to remain in until the task began. She ran her hand over her hair, which had been pulled back in a ponytail for the first time in over a year. She hated her hair being pulled back, but she was smart enough to know that when she was running from the dragon she would be facing, and fighting it, it would be best to have her hair out of the way. Fleur had done the same thing with her hair.

All five Champions were in the tent, stressing themselves out before they faced the dragons that they all knew were going to be there. Riley was wearing a black leather vest and blue jeans with a white tanktop underneath. On the back of the vest was Silvergates' symbol and a large picture of a snake that was wrapped around the crest. Riley also had fingerless black gloves on her hands, and her wand stuck out of the back of her pants, right against her back.

Draco had wished her good-luck that morning, at the same time that Hermione had wished Harry good-luck. In fact, Harry and Riley had met on the way away from the castle and mocked each other for who had wished them good-bye. Riley was tired of everyone giving her grief about hanging out with Draco so much, especially since she was interested in him romantically.

Bagman walked into the tent, and everyone looked over at him expectantly. He looked somehow like a slightly overblown cartoon figure, standing amid all the pale-faced champions. He was wearing his old Wasp robes again. "Well, now we're all here – time to fill you in!" said Bagman brightly. "When the audience has assembled, I'm going to be offering each of you this bag" - he held up a small sack of purple silk and shook it at them - "from which you will each select a small model of the thing you are sure about to face. There are different – er – varieties, you see. And I have to tell you something else, too... ah, yes... your task is to _collect the golden egg!_"

Riley closed her eyes instantly after he spoke, taking in a deep breath. When she opened her eyes, she nodded, struggling to keep calm. She saw Cedric do the same thing, and Harry was looking around nervously. Fleur and Krum hadn't reacted at all. Riley wondered how much of that was because they honestly didn't care, or if they were so scared that they couldn't react.

Within the next fifteen minutes, people began piling into the stands. Riley watched through a slit in the tent as the Gryffindors and Slytherins sat at opposite ends of the stadium, all looking out expectantly. She saw the other two Hogwarts Houses gather in random areas, along with the other schools. Aria, Riley barely saw, was sitting with the Gryffindors, probably near George, whom she'd been spending just about every spare minute of the day with. She saw Draco sitting at the edge of the stands, so that he was one of the closest to the scene while watching her with an expression of pride and support.

Riley pulled herself away and closed her eyes, keeping her breathing as regular as possible. Still, she couldn't quiet her nervousness. She was reminded once again of why they had made an age rule. She was young, too young in some eyes.

All of a sudden, at the thought of being called not good enough for something, Riley's eyes hardened and she grew annoyed. If she didn't pass this task today, she and Aaron would not only be thrown out of school, but everyone would believe her inferior. Karkaroff would be having a field-day, Slater would expel her without thinking twice, and everything that she'd worked so hard to build for herself would be lost. Riley reached back with her hands and tightened her hair so that it wouldn't move. Suddenly, her breathing was fine, her eyes cold and her senses attuned. All of her energy centered so that she suddenly became focus, and when she opened her eyes, they were as cold as ice.

She was ready.

A moment later, Bagman was walking over and holding out the purple silk sack to Fleur and Riley. "Ladies first," he said, offering it to Fleur. "Since Fleur is the oldest, she will choose first."

Fleur put a shaking hand inside the bag and drew out a tiny, perfect model of a dragon – a Welsh Green. It had the number two around its neck. She narrowed her eyes and let out a sigh as she nodded, clearly having resigned to the fact that she was going to face this dragon, so she might as well do the best as possible.

Bagman turned to Riley and said, "Riley, it's your turn."

Riley didn't hesitate to reach into the back and she grabbed the first model she could find. She pulled it out and blinked in surprise when she recognized the dragon in her hand.

"The Norwegian Richback," Bagman said, nodding in approval.

"Norbert," Riley heard Harry mutter under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear, but not loud enough for anyone else. Riley frowned as she looked down at the live model, looking up at her in confusion. Around in his neck was the number three, and he looked up at Riley through narrowed, condemning eyes.

Krum was next, and he pulled out the scarlet Chinese Fireball. His had the number four around its neck. He didn't even blink, just sat back down and stared at the ground. Cedric put his hand into the bag, and out came the bluish-grey Swedish Short-Snout, the number one tied around its neck. Riley blinked regretfully as she watched Harry reach into the bag, both of them knowing what was coming out. Sure enough, Harry pulled out the Hungarian Horntail with the number five hung around its neck.

Immediately, Riley felt a twinge of sympathy and regret. Truth was that she'd hoped that she would get to fight the most mean-tempered dragon in the entire collection. After all, if she could defeat the worst of the dragons, then it meant that she truly belonged in this competition; and what Riley wanted more than anything right now was to believe that she could make it through this competition. She didn't want to make Silvergates look bad, and if she could defeat the worst dragon of all of them, there wouldn't be a doubt in anyone's mind that she belonged.

"Well, there you are!" Bagman boasted proudly. "You each pulled out the dragon you will face, and the numbers refer to the order in which you are to take on the dragons, do you see? Now, I'm going to leave you in a moment, because I'm commentating. Mr. Diggory, you're first, just go into the enclosure where you hear a whistle, all right? Now... Harry... could I have a quick word? Outside?"

Riley felt surprise run through her, and saw that Harry was reflecting her own surprise in his face. He hesitated, then followed Bagman outside, leaving the four other Champions alone.

Riley faced Krum and walked over to him to ask, "You okay, Viktor?"

Krum looked up in surprise and stood up to nod and say, "Uv course."

Riley raised an eyebrow at him, a look in her eyes that said, "You don't have to be brave around me."

Krum's expression softened, and Riley knew that he was just as nervous as the rest of them. Still, he was strong and Riley knew that he would be okay. He may not win, but he would definitely make it through; Riley had that much confidence in her friend.

"All right," McGonagall said from where she was standing, right at the exit that Bagman had referred to. "Mr. Diggory, it's time."

It seemed like forever, the wait that Riley had to endure. She paced the tent most of the time, trying to remember everything that she'd read and learned about the Norwegian Richback, along with any spells that might be useful. She listened, though she tried hard not to, as the crowd screamed, yelled, cheered and gasped while Cedric fought the Swedish Short-Snout. Krum had returned to his position on the seat and was now staring at the floor again, Fleur was pacing as well, and Harry looked so sick that he might explode and send vomit everywhere. She didn't need to picture what was going on, because she could see Harry doing it enough for everyone in the crowd.

Riley heard Bagman's comments the entire time, and personally wanted to hit the guy for what he was saying. Finally he yelled out, "Very good indeed! And now the marks from the judges!"

That caught the attention of everyone in the tent. They stopped, waited to hear the scores, only to be disappointed when they heard nothing, only claps. Riley realized that they were holding up the scores, which was probably to keep the Champions from getting psyched out.

A moment later, Bagman said aloud, "One down, four to go. Miss Delacour, if you please!"

Fleur was trembling from head to foot. Riley watched with an eyebrow raised as Fleur left, and she suddenly thought back to the day that they had been accepted as Champions, Fleur's determination and mockery of Harry and Riley for their age. Now, when they were all ready to face the dragons, it wasn't about age, or about skill. It was about fear, and who was able to think the clearest.

The same process started again... "Oh, I'm not sure that was wise!" They could hear Bagman shout gleefully. "Oh... nearly! Careful now... good lord, I thought she'd had it then!"

Ten minutes later, Riley heard the crowd erupt in applause, and her mind suddenly cleared. Normally, a person would have felt more nervous at that moment over any other, being faced with the knowledge that it was almost time to go in. But for some reason, she felt more confident than ever, her nerves suddenly gone. She wasn't arrogant, but sure of herself.

Riley heard the applause begin again, as well as the comments about scores. Finally, she let out a sigh as she heard Bagman say, "Next we have the Champion from Silvergates, Riley O'Malley!"

Riley opened her eyes, the cold grey eyes filled with determination. She looked at Krum and Harry, who looked at her with fear, and she smiled at them, saying, "Don't worry about me." Her voice was self-assured as she said, "I'll be fine." With that, she walked out of the tent and into the arena.

Riley walked out into the stadium and looked around, seeing hundreds of people around her and cheering. The people from Silvergates were especially loud. Slater had gone home the night before to invite nearly the entire school (actually, just the people from the fourth year and above) to come see the show. Slytherin and Gryffindor were all cheering as well, the people whom she'd been spending time with since her arrival. She saw Aria, Draco and Fred all cheering from their spots. Seeing them renewed Riley's confidence in herself, only for her senses to become alert on an entirely new level a moment later.

Riley suddenly felt something, and she fell to the ground a moment before talons and wings suddenly came crashing down above her, clawing out at the spot where she was standing a moment before. Riley's eyes narrowed as she looked up, and she recognized the Norwegian Richback, Norbert, fly about fifty feet away before spinning around and facing Riley. His yellow eyes were wild and mad, his nostrils flaring as he faced Riley. Riley could feel exactly how far away Norbert was, without ever feeling the flap of his wings. That was just a bonus.

"That's it, boy," Riley said as she stood up, her eyes cold and narrowed as she looked at the dragon. "Come and get me."

"That's it," Aria said, looking down with a knowing look in her eyes as she watched Riley move. "Use those senses of yours, Riley. You can beat this thing."

Riley focused her senses and looked around, eying the rocking terrain that surrounded her, trying to come up with the best strategy she could think of. A moment later, Norbet let out a screech and began flying toward Riley again. Riley drew her wand and pointed it at Norbert, thinking determinedly, _Reducto_!

There was a flash of light as the spell hit Norbert, sending him flying back about twenty feet and throwing him off guard.

"Well, _that_ was a shot well done!" Bagman exclaimed. "Only sixteen, yet able to use silent spells. I would guess that was 'reducto', an offensive attack."

Riley began to run across the terrain, hiding behind rocks as she watched Norbert shake his head. She was using her senses to feel where everything was on the ground, hoping to find that golden egg before Norbert took her head off.

Norbert let out a loud roar and suddenly began flying at Riley. Riley fell to the ground and spun over several times, barely dodging as Norbert took up the entire boulder that Riley had been hiding behind. Norbert spun around in mid-air and began flying straight for Riley, even faster this time.

"Oh, shit!" Riley exclaimed, her eyes widening in alarm. She could think of only one thing left to do.

She ran.

Riley began running across the field as fast as possible. She could feel Norbert begin to come closer, moving closer with each second. Unable to think of anything else, and relying completely on her instincts, Riley suddenly leapt into the air and turned into a wolf before racing across the ground, dodging swiftly between boulders.

"What's _this_?" Bagman exclaimed with shock and delight, the crowd gasping in shock as they watched what he was watching. "It seems that Miss O'Malley has transfigured herself into a wolf in order to gain the advantage over the dragon! How clever, Miss O'Malley! Let's see if it works!"

As Riley changed, Aria's eyes widened in alarm and she thought to herself, _Riley, you fool!_

Riley began running as fast as possible, which was about five times as fast as she had been moving in her human form. Riley raced across the ground, swiftly dodging to the side when Norbert came down and reached out with his talons, trying to reach out and grab at Riley.

Riley narrowed her blue eyes and thought, _Come and catch me, you stupid, overgrown bird._

Riley ran away, still searching for the egg, until she felt Norbert growing exceedingly closer. Suddenly unaware of what else to do, Riley leapt up into the air, spun around and transformed back into a human before pulling out her wand and thinking fast, _Fulgur e Deus!_

Norbert was hit with a suddenly blast of lightning that erupted from the tip of Riley's wand, a blast so powerful that it hit Norbert in the heart and sent him flying back against the far wall, shaking it and completely confusing him. Riley hit the ground hard on her back, rolling over several times before she stopped. She began to get herself to her hands and knees, every bone in her body throbbing from the impact of landing fifteen feet in the air.

There were gasps of shock and wonder, along with screams of cheering and thrill. Everyone in the stadium was on her side, cheering her on. But that didn't take the pain away from the bones in her body.

"What was _that_?" Bagman exclaimed. "Folks, I've never seen anything like this before! It seems that Miss Riley is opening an entire box of spells that I've never seen. This is unprecedented, I think! But it looks like her spell has cost her the use of her right arm. What will she do next?"

"Albus, what spell is she using?" Snape asked, looking at Dumbledore in alarm. Slater looked completely thrown, as did Karkaroff and Madame Maxime. Dumbledore was looking down with interest.

"I'm not sure, Severus," Dumbledore said, a smile on his face with interest in his eyes. "I've never seen that spell before, or someone who can Transfigure themselves so quickly and easily, and in battle. Gregor, it seems that you've got something of a prodigy on your hands."

"I knew that," Slater said, looking down into the arena. "I wouldn't have taken a student who had been expelled for those reasons if it hadn't been for her blood and skills." _But even __**I**__ couldn't have predicted this, _Slater thought in astonishment. Her narrowed his eyes, both suspicious and intrigued as he thought to himself, _Riley, what have you been hiding underneath those sleeves of yours?_

"_Fulgur e Deus_," Draco said, his eyes wide in shock.

"What?" Pansy asked, looking at Draco in confusion.

"Lightning out of God," Draco muttered to himself, ignoring his friend. _That's one of the spells that she created herself! If she's using __**those**_ _spells... She's __**really**__ trying to kill that thing, isn't she?_ he wondered in awe. _What power._

Riley slowly got to her feet, gripping her right arm, which she figured she'd broken, and she thought bitterly, _All right. That's gonna leave a mark for the next month. I'm sick of this._

Norbert pulled himself back up into the air, shaking his head and trying to gather consciousness again, then screamed loudly and angrily. Riley turned herself back into a wolf again, this time running straight for Norbert, her eyes narrowed and determined and filled with irritation and anger.

"What's this? She's running _toward_ the dragon!" Bagman exclaimed in delight. "She's not after the egg now, but the dragon itself. What will happen? Is this wise? What's going on in that girl's head?"

_Riley, _Aria thought warily. _What are you doing?_

Norbert suddenly flew right above Riley, swooping down low enough to pick Riley up in his talons. Riley let out a howl of shock as the powerful talons enclosed around her body. She'd known that the feeling of a dragon's talons clenching around her body would be painful, but even she couldn't have predicted this kind of pain. Suddenly, she realized just how stupid her ten-second plan had been. Still, there was no turning back; and even if it was painful, she knew it would work.

It _had_ to work.

"She's been picked up!" Bagman exclaimed, and everyone in the stadium gasped in shock. Dumbledore and the others stood up in alarm, looking up to see Norbert rising into the sky, Riley clenched tightly in his talons like prey. "What could she have been thinking? She's done for!"

_Not yet, _Riley thought, clenching her teeth as she looked down over the field, trying to block the excruciating pain. Finally, she saw it: the nest with the golden egg in the center of the area. _Now!_ Riley thought, and she suddenly transformed back into a human, right in the middle of the dragon's talons.

Norbert let out a roar of alarm as the weight in his talons changed form. Riley suddenly used the extra space in the talons to turn over, reaching for her wand and pointing it upward. "_Stupefy!_" she yelled aloud.

The stunning spell suddenly hit Norbert in the face and knocked him with enough surprise that he released her from his talons, shaking his head. Riley suddenly felt herself falling down one hundred feet at an extremely fast pace.

"I don't believe it!" Bagman yelled. "_She's out!_ Miss O'Malley has made her way out of the dragon's talons, but is now falling at an exceedingly fast rate! Can she make it?" The cheering only grew louder and gasps were heard all over, no one knowing what was going on or what was going to happen.

Snape raised his hand in preparation to slow Riley down and prevent her from dying, but Dumbledore raised a hand to him in indication to stop, and he said, "No, Severus." Snape looked at him in alarm, and Dumbledore said, "Watch."

Aria smiled in understanding. _Now I get it,_ she thought, rolling her eyes in amusement and dismay. _Not bad, Riley. That's insane, but not half bad. Why am I not surprised you would pull a stunt like that?_

Riley looked down, pointing her water straight down and thought, _Aquius draco!_ All of a sudden, a huge amount of water surged from the tip of her wand, more powerful than it had appeared when Mr. Ollivander had called the same spell. A wave of energy shot through the entire stadium as water exploded from out of nowhere, spiraling beneath Riley and around the boulders beneath her. Riley continued to fall, and then suddenly disappeared in between the rocks.

There were gasps from everyone in the stadium as they stood up in alarm, every struggling to see what had happened. Aria was the only one who seemed to remain calm, her eyes filled with amusement and expectation. Everyone else stood at the edge of their seats, Malfoy and Fred both staring in horror over the edge of the arena. Even Dumbledore was frowning with concern as he looked down into the arena.

A second later, almost everyone in the arena felt like they had had a heart attack as an enormous blue creature flew into the sky, only to reveal itself as a dragon made entirely of water. On its back, between its wings, was Riley standing up straight with her wand in her hand, pointing directly at Norbert, who had begun circling the stadium. Everyone suddenly began screaming in applause and praise, clapping as they watched Riley stand on the back of a dragon made of water, facing Norbert without any source of fear. In her hand, also was a golden egg, raised high for everyone to see.

"Unbelievable!" Bagman exclaimed in disbelief, voicing everyone else's thoughts. "I can't believe it! _She's okay, __**and**_ _she got the golden egg!_"

_Knew it,_ Aria thought. _You did it, Riley. You couldn't have timed it more perfectly. _She smirked as she thought to herself,_ Something tells me, though, that you timed that exactly the way that you wanted to. You're making a statement, to Slater __**and**__ Karkaroff, and to those that doubted you. You're making a statement for Silvergates. Silvergates isn't weak, and of all of the students that came here, you're the one that actually deserves this the most. Now, the world will know that once and for all._

All of a sudden, Norbert came flying at Riley, and she narrowed her eyes, having expected this. The dragon suddenly ducked and flew downward, allowing Riley to hold tightly onto the egg as she steered the dragon into the perfect position. Norbert continued flying after her and her dragon, coming right up on them. Riley pulled the dragon down so that he was less than ten feet from the ground, then dropped down off of him and had the dragon spin around to face Norbert. Norbert flew straight for the dragon, only for the dragon to lose form and splash all over Norbert, completely throwing him off.

Riley didn't waste a second in responding. "_Fulgur!_" she yelled, pointing her wand up at Norbert with her left hand, Norbert having had flown some thirty feet into the air.

Lightning erupted once again from Riley's wand, this time hitting a completely soaked Norbert. The water and lightning suddenly mixed and began hurting Norbert, the dragon no longer able to fight back. Norbert thrust his head back and began screaming in pain and terror.

"_Norbert!_" Hagrid yelled in horror, standing up as he prepared to cry for his beloved dragon.

"No, Hagrid," Hermione said to Hagrid. "You can't do anything."

"But he's in pain," Hagrid argued, tears running out of his eyes.

"That's the point!" Ron exclaimed in disbelief.

Riley watched as Norbert screamed, feeling the strength drain from him through her wand. This was why she had made her wand so strong, why she'd trained so hard over the years. This was what she was capable, and so much more. Now everyone would know it.

All of a sudden, Riley yanked her wand back, taking a step back with one foot and watching as Norbert suddenly thrust his head back and fell to the ground, shaking the ground as he landed.

There wasn't a moment of silence left. Everyone began screaming and clapping even louder, and Riley now found herself panting and feeling more sore than ever. Still, she couldn't have been happier. Riley looked up and saw Draco smiling down at her in approval and respect, and the Gryffindors and Aria doing the same. Aria was standing with her arms folded, a knowing look in her eyes as she looked down at Riley, and Riley knew that her friend hadn't doubted her for a moment. That's what she loved about Aria. There was total trust. Fred looked thrilled, but ready to keel over and die from the stress. Everyone else in Gryffindor looked the same.

Riley smiled to herself, looking down at the egg underneath her arm She was holding the egg! She'd passed.

Bagman voiced her thoughts as he said aloud, "It's over, folks! Through powerful and skillfully timed attacks, Miss O'Malley has come out victorious! She has passed! Let's wait a few minutes, and then we'll see the judge's scores."

"O'Malley!"

Riley turned her head and saw McGonagall walking over with Professor Moody and Madam Pomfrey. Riley stumbled over to stand beside them, her left leg throbbing and barely usable. McGonagall took the egg from Riley and said, "That was excellent, O'Malley. Very good. But you need to get to the medical tent."

Riley let McGonagall take the egg, and she muttered through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the pain, "I hadn't noticed," she said sarcastically.

A moment later, Madam Pomfrey rushed out of the tent and helped Riley inside, the help making it much easier to deal with the pain. After a few seconds, Riley was on a cot, her left leg resting while Madam Pomfrey began to mend all of her broken bones.

Madam Pomfrey was pissed, livid, which helped Riley smile in spite of her pain. "Dragons!" she said, in a disgusted tone, focusing on Riley's leg. "Last year dementors, this year dragons." She looked at Riley and said, "Not that you helped. Those moves you pulled..."

"She was brilliant, Madam Pomfrey," a familiar voice said, but one that Riley hadn't expected to hear. Riley looked up and saw Draco walking in, a smile on his face as he looked at Riley. "You were amazing out there today," he said with a proud smile.

"Try putting yourself in the claws of a dragon and tell me that your decisions were wise," Riley muttered, wincing as Madam Pomfrey continued to repair the bones.

"She's right, Master Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey said haughtily. "Those stunts she pulled broke half of her ribs, her left leg, and dislocated her right arm.

"You wouldn't have known it to watch you," Draco pointed out.

"Adrenaline works miracles," Riley muttered. "That, and a fair amount of insanity, both of which I seem to have in _spades_."

"_O'Malley!_"

Riley looked up from Madam Pomfrey's wand and she saw Snape walking over, his eyes narrowed. "Yes, Professor?" she winced as she tried to sit up straight.

"Don't move a muscle until I've repaired those!" Madam Pomfrey commanded.

Snape glared at Riley and said, "Professor Dumbledore wants to speak with you when the next two have finished."

"Sure thing," Riley said with a careless shrug. "In his office?"

"No," Snape said coldly. "Stay here. He has _several_ things to say to you."

_I'm sure, _Riley thought bitterly through the pain. _There are a few things that I'd like to say right now, but I'm refraining, because I think that they might just find something worse than soap to wash my mouth out with._

Snape then turned around and stormed away. A moment after he disappeared, Aria, Fred, George, Hermione and Ron suddenly ran into the tent, all looking worried and thrilled.

"Riley, you were _amazing!_" Fred exclaimed, his eyes bright with excitement. He looked over at Draco, the light in his eyes fading to contempt before he said curtly, "Malfoy."

"Weasley," Draco said, not sounding any more thrilled. Still, he wouldn't argue with Fred in front of Riley. That much was clear.

"You're _insane_, O'Malley," Aria said, amusement dancing in her eyes.

"And what's changed since we were six?" _Riley_ asked, once again wincing as her ribs hurt.

"Nothing, other than your methods of proving it," Aria pointed out.

"All right, I need all of you to get out of here," Madam Pomfrey said sternly, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the visitors in disapproval. "_Everyone_," she added, looking at Fred and Draco. "I need to repair her ribs, and this isn't going to be pleasant for her; I don't want anyone around while."

"I agree," Riley piped in immediately, aware that for Madam Pomfrey to heal her ribs, she would have to take her vest and shirt off, and she wasn't about to show _everything_ off to boys she had just met. Clearly not understanding her motive, everyone hesitated uncertainly. Riley rolled her eyes and said impatiently, "You guys can chew me out later, after Dumbledore's through with his own session. I'll meet you in the castle later. Right now, I'm too tired and in too much pain."

"All right," Hermione said, speaking for everyone. "We'll see you in the common room when you're done here, Riley."

"Sure," Riley muttered.

Riley waited as everyone left, then smiled as she thought to herself, _Broken bones and dislocated shoulder or not, I'd take this over any other day in my life. That was absolutely amazing!_

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	11. Chapter 9: Dumbledore's Warning

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Nine: Dumbledore's Warning

* * *

It took Madam Pomfrey the next half hour to get Riley's bones healed. Afterward, she was eternally grateful, but she still felt every inch of her body covered in bruises. She wasn't in flat out pain, but she was so sore that she felt she could die and be happy. Krum went into the field and came out within fifteen minutes. He was hurt, but not like Riley was. Instead of worrying about himself, he spent most of his time in the medical tent asking about Riley. It wasn't until Harry came in that she found herself with no more broken or dislocated bones. By then, she was able to sit up easily, but the lying down was the hard part.

Harry was brought in, McGonagall praising him up and down, and as Madam Pomfrey finished with him, Hermione and Ron once again came running inside. McGonagall had left Riley's egg beside her on the bed, and Harry was clutching his, as though not wanting to let go. When Ron and Hermione came in, Riley had to laugh at the discussion.

Ron was very white and staring at Harry as though he were a ghost. "Harry," he said, very seriously, "Whoever put your name in that goblet – I – I reckon they were trying to do you in!"

Riley rolled her eyes, thinking, _**Now**_ _he gets it._

"Caught on, have you?" said Harry coldly, voicing Riley's thoughts. "Took you long enough."

Hermione stood nervously between them, looking from one to the other. Ron opened his mouth uncertainly. Riley could tell that Ron was going to apologize, and wanted to hit Harry over the head until he said, "It's okay. Forget it."

"No," Ron began to argue. I shouldn't've-"

"Forget it," Harry said more seriously.

Hermione burst into tears.

"There's nothing to cry about!" Harry told her, bewildered.

"You two are so stupid!" she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground, tears splashing down her front. She then hugged the both of them and disappeared, running outside.

Once Hermione was gone, Ron turned to Riley and asked, "You wanna come outside?"

Riley hesitated, then said, "I'll go with you guys to see the scores, but then I have to come back." She stood up and walked over to stand beside Ron and Harry as Ron began to talk, and fast.

"You were the best, Harry, the only one to rival you was Riley here." Riley smiled in appreciation, but said nothing as he continued. "Riley here was absolutely brilliant. We could hardly believe it. Harry, she transformed herself into a wolf and attacked Norbert – you remember Norbert, don't you? - with lightning and water, and made this huge water dragon, and _barely_ made it out with her life. Cedric did this weird thing where he Transfigured a rock on the ground... turned it into a dog... he was trying to make the dragon go for the dog instead of him. Well, it was a pretty cool bit of Transfiguration – not as cool as _yours_, Riley – and it sort of worked, because he got the egg, but he got burned, as well – the dragon changed its mind halfway through and decided it would rather have him than the Labrador. He only just got away. And that Fleur girl tried this sort of charm, I think she was trying to put it into a trance – well, that kind of worked, too, it went all sleepy, but then it snored and this great jet of flame shot out, and her skirt caught fire – she put it out with a bit of water out of her wand. And Krum – you won't believe this, but he didn't even think of flying! He was probably the best after you two, though. Hit it with some sort of spell right in the eye. Only thing is, it went trampling around in agony and squashed half the real eggs – they took marks off for that, he wasn't supposed to do any damage to them."

Ron drew breath as he, Harry and Riley reached the edge of the enclosure. Now that the Horntail that Harry had faced had been taken away, Harry could see where the five judges were sitting – right at the other end, in raised seats draped in gold.

"Ever find out how Norbert is?" Riley asked, looking over at Ron as she leaned against the entry-way, needing to lean against something.

"Oh, yeah," Ron said, nodding. "They think he's got some nerve damage, but he's okay. Hagrid about had a heart attack when you electrocuted him."

"It worked, didn't it?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ron nodded and looked back at the judges. "It marks out of ten from each one," he explained, and they all watched the judges.

The first judge, Madam Maxime, raised her wand in the air. What looked like a long silver ribbon shot out of it, which twisted itself into a large figure eight.

"Not bad!" said Ron as the crowd applauded. "I suppose she took marks off for your shoulder..."

"I'd shudder to see what happened to me," Riley said bitterly, but not sarcastically.

"Actually, you didn't do half bad," Ron admitted, sounding impressed. "I think it's because you had so much power and such incredible spells, that they overlooked your injuries."

"What'd she get?" Harry asked curiously.

"From Maxime? Nine."

Mr. Crouch came next. He shot a number nine into the air. Apparently, Riley had gotten an nine from Mr. Crouch as well.

Next, Dumbledore. He too put up a nine. Apparently, Dumbledore had given Riley a ten, which amazed Riley to no end.

Ludo Bagman – ten.

"Ten?" Harry asked in disbelief. "But... I got hurt... What's he playing at?"

"Harry, don't complain!" Ron yelled excitedly. "Riley got the same score from him. He's just a doof, that's all! But you're doing well, so don't complain."

And then, Karkaroff raised his wand. He paused for a moment, and then a number shot out of his wand too – four.

"_What?_" Ron bellowed furiously. "Four? You lousy, biased scumbag, you gave Krum ten!"

"Hey," Riley said as she got Ron's attention. "Harry's not doing that bad. Karkaroff gave me a _two_."

"_What?_" Harry asked in disbelief, looking between Ron and Riley for some kind of an explanation.

"Uh, yeah," Ron said, shrugging. "I forgot about that. Apparently he doesn't like to _'promote dangerous spells'_ when it _'puts a person's life in danger'_." He rolled his eyes and said, "It was really lame."

"He just did it because he hates me," Riley said, shrugging dismissively. "I don't think he's liked me since the first month that he knew me; after that, he's had it in for me, his anger growing exponentially after I was expelled at the end of that year. Also, I called him a good-for-nothing son of a bitch a week ago."

"I would hate to be against you when you're mad," Harry said to Riley, somewhat scared and weirded out, and all she did was smile.

"I would have _loved_ to seen her tell him that," Ron said, looking at Riley with interest and in awe. "To see someone off Karkaroff? That would have been _awesome_!"

"We've got a three-way-tie, folks!" Bagman yelled out. "It seems that Riley O'Malley, Harry Potter and Viktor Krum will share first place for this round."

Riley smiled, her only thought being how good it felt to know that she had just made this the worst day of Karkaroff's life.

A few minutes later, all of the Champions were in the main tent. Madam Pomfrey had excused Riley, with the understanding that she come back later for more treatment. Riley looked at the other Champions and really envied their healthiness. One side of Cedric's face was covered in a thick orange paste, which was presumably mending his burn. He grinned at Harry as Riley and Harry walked over.

"Good one, Harry."

"And you," said Harry, grinning back.

"Vell done, Riley," Krum said, nodding in approval to Riley, with whom he'd tied.

"Well done, _all_ of you!" said Ludo Bagman, bouncing into the tent and looking as pleased as though he personally had just got past a dragon. "Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-fourth – but we're giving you something to think about in the meantime. If you look down at those golden eggs that you're all holding, you will see that they open... see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg because it will tell you what the second task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go, then!"

Riley watched as the others left the tent, and as Snape, Dumbledore, Slater and McGonagall stayed behind, Riley felt her throat fall into her stomach. She'd never felt more nervous than she did as she faced them now. Riley saw Harry hesitate at the exit, looking back at her and glancing between her in the teachers. He then walked away, leaving them alone.

"That was some excellent work out there, Riley," Dumbledore said, his voice calm as he looked into Riley's eyes. "Had Professor Karkaroff given you a deserving score, you would have taken first today."

"I understand, Professor," Riley said respectfully. "But with all respect, if I'd received a score higher than what I did from him, I would have died from shock."

Dumbledore blinked in understanding and he said, "Please, give us a few minutes alone."

Slater, McGonagall and Snape all looked at Dumbledore in surprise, but left all the same, leaving Riley and Dumbledore alone. Dumbledore indicated to one of the chairs. "Please, sit down. You must be tired."

"With all due respect, Professor," Riley said awkwardly. "I'd rather not. I would be in worse pain if I sat down right now, if you know what I mean."

Dumbledore chuckled and nodded in understanding. "Of course, of course. Riley, what I want to talk to you about is your skills, and the spells that you use in this tournament."

"Am I doing anything wrong?" Riley asked uncertainly.

"No, no, no," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "You did exceedingly well today. I was very shocked. Your intuition, your ability to think up a ten-step plan in a heartbeat, it's incredible. However, I have a few questions and thoughts that I would like to share with you. To begin with, are you an Animagus?"

Riley hesitated, and then frowned, knowing that she couldn't hide the truth from Dumbledore. "Yes, Professor," she admitted. "I have been for the last two years."

"To be a fully-fledged Animagus at the age of fifteen is quite an accomplishment," Dumbledore said, sounding impressed. "However, because you are not a _registered_ one – as you cannot be until you are of age – I must ask that you not use your powers of transformation during a task unless it's a matter of your life."

"Is there a rule against it?" Riley asked awkwardly.

"Not outright," Dumbledore admitted. "But it _is_ against the law, and we have quite a few high-powered officials here." His eyes filled with a gentle respect as he said, "You have incredible powers, Riley, ones that would rival those of your parents." Riley blinked in surprise, and Dumbledore smiled as he nodded and said, "Yes, I remember your parents. They both attended Hogwarts for a number of years, after all. They were amazingly gifted, as are you, but you have tapped into powers that your opponents haven't, powers that they probably haven't even tried, and shouldn't. Harry will be fighting to make his way through this tournament as it is, and I don't want him to push his limits into a place that he cannot return from."

"You mean pushing him into using magics that are too strong for him?" Riley asked, understanding where Dumbledore was going with this.

Dumbledore nodded. "Exactly. He may grow so desperate that he will resort to anything. You should be allowed to use any legal form of magic possible, but be careful in how you use it, because the wrong influence on Harry could put all of our lives in danger."

Riley nodded and said, "I promise that I will be careful."

"I would be grateful," Dumbledore said, and then said in a slightly more cheerful voice, "Now, what was that lightning attack that you used on Norbert at the beginning of the battle?"

An hour later, Riley was walking down the halls and toward the Gryffindor tower, when she heard a voice behind her, one that made her tense up. She turned around and saw Karkaroff standing in the hallway, his eyes focused solely on Riley. By now, Riley was so tired and so sore that all she wanted to do was lie down, take some painkillers and scream. To face Karkaroff, that was going to turn into a desire for something a long stronger than Ibuprofen.

Karkaroff's eyes were narrowed as he looked at Riley. "I don't know what you think you're doing, or who you think you're kidding, but if it takes my last breath, you _will not_ win this tournament."

"Karkaroff, go shove it up your ass," Riley said abruptly as she walked right past Karkaroff, suddenly having no patience left, for Karkaroff or anyone else. She saw his eyes widen in alarm as she walked past him, and she turned on her heel to face the man as she spat, "I'm a powerful witch, Karkaroff. I know it, you know it; _everyone_ knows it. Today was just icing on the cake, a demonstration. I am so much more powerful than what I showed today, and I'm not going to let you jeopardize my chances at this tournament; not for me, but for the sake of my school."

"Oh, really?" Karkaroff asked skeptically as he stood up straight, standing less than a foot away from Riley as he glared down at her. "You're doing all of this for the sake of your school?" He scoffed in open contempt. "I don't believe you for a second, Riley. It's only been three years since you stumbled into my school, and I remember exactly what you were like. You were only there for a year, and you didn't give a damn about Durmstrang, at least not enough to show it any real loyalty.

Riley's eyes filled with a similar contempt as she said, "That's where you're wrong, Igor. I _was_ loyal to Durmstrang. If I had stayed at Durmstrang longer than a year, you would have seen just as much commitment from me to Durmstrang as I give to Silvergates now. It's a shame that you didn't keep me around long enough to see that; all of my loyalty and power could have been committed to Durmstrang alone, and you would have felt as though you were sitting on top of the world, rather than Slater." She folded her arms and looked at him with an expression of mock deep thought. "You wanted me as a student at Silvergates because of my heritage; you thought I was the Second Coming when you saw me walk through those doors and into your school, all because of who I'm related to. I remember you going on and on about my how famous of a history my lineage has, but the moment you saw me as a threat to the image of Durmstrang, you dropped me out on the streets, and left me with nowhere to go. You didn't care about me; all you cared about was your public image, and that's going to be your downfall in this tournament, because I have as much resolve to prove you wrong about me as you do to get me kicked out. I _will_ prove you wrong, to you and everyone else."

Karkaroff's eyes filled with darkness as he said in a grunt, "Don't flatter yourself, O'Malley. You may be a powerful witch, but you _are not _the Second Coming."

"Never said I was," Riley retorted in a duh-tone. "_You_ did. You only cared about my heritage because of how much it would promote your image with the public. Now, I _know_ that Slater feels the same way, and that that is why he took me on when I was obviously a risk; I'm not dumb enough to think that he actually cared about me, or that he does now. The difference is that Slater didn't drop me from his school the moment that he felt I was a threat to his public image. I may resent the man as much as I resent you, but at least _he_ has stuck by me, which is more than I could ever say about you."

Karkaroff scoffed, his eyes narrowed to slits as he grunted, "Who could stand by a knife in their side?" When Riley's eyes flashed angrily, Karkaroff's eyes filled with unfiltered hatred. "That little stunt you pulled during your first year at Durmstrang threatened to destroy the integrity. We've had our share of messes to clean up before, but what you did could have destroyed the school altogether. I wasn't about to risk one person – no matter how famous their ancestors are – ruin everything that I've worked for; so rather than let the knife stay dug in my side and risk it killing or seriously harming me, I pulled it out and threw it away, so that the healing could be taken care of before I had to go out in public again."

"Which goes to prove my point," Riley said in a matter-of-fact tone. "You don't have a heart, Karkaroff. All you have is an ego, and I don't care what it takes, I'm going to prove you and everyone wrong about me. Now, I don't give a damn about whether or not I win this tournament; for all I care, King Kong could win it. But I'm going to prove to you and everyone else that I _do_ have a sense of loyalty toward my school, and that I'm not small or able to be intimidated anymore. Silvergates will be able to come back next time, and if takes every last breath in me, I will prove to the world that you were wrong when you expelled me."

Karkaroff's expression only darkened as he said in an open threat, "I don't care what it takes; I will see to it that you don't walk away with this tournament. You'll be expelled, as will that rotten little friend of yours. Gregor Slater _is_ my friend, but he shouldn't have endorsed _you_ as his Champion. I will do absolutely everything in my power to see to it that Viktor Krum defeats you. He is every bit as talented as you, and a great deal more famous for it, whereas you are simply _notorious._"

"Oh, I don't doubt just how capable Viktor is, even for a minute," Riley said in a matter-of-fact tone. "He's an excellent wizard that has worked his way to the top of the food chain, so to speak, all because of his skill and power. It's just a shame that the only reason why you support him is because of his fame." When she saw Karkaroff raise his chin proudly, Riley narrowed her eyes and said sharply, "I didn't choose to be here, but I'm in this competition nonetheless, and I _will not_ let you intimidate me like I once did. I'm not the first-year who cowered at your feet anymore, Karkaroff, and I won't stand by and let you treat me as such. Accept it and leave me alone."

"Or what?" Karkaroff taunted as he drew closer. "You gonna attack me? You'd be sent to Azkaban."

"A place you know all too well," Riley said through narrowed eyes. Karkaroff's eyes blazed furiously, and Riley said, "Dumbledore trusts me, as do the other teachers here. Slater will back me up, and so will Dumbledore. If you want to attack me, go through them first."

"You've got a lot of friends here at Hogwarts and at Silvergates," Karkaroff said, walking closer. "Do you think they would all love you if they knew the truth about your expulsion?"

Riley narrowed her eyes up at Karkaroff and she said bitterly, "Slater knows, yet he still admitted me."

"Slater admitted you because you are the direct descendant of Rona Ravenclaw," Karkaroff laughed in mockery, causing Riley to flinch. He looked at Riley and shook his head. "Don't believe for a second that it had anything to do with you. You just admitted that you know that, so don't act indignant over the fact. He's using you for your blood, just as everyone in your life has since the day you were sent to that orphanage."

"Like _you_ did?" Riley snapped defensively.

Karkaroff shrugged. "You live by the blood, you die for the blood."

"No one at Silvergates other than Aria and Slater knows about my relation to Rona Ravenclaw," Riley said, shaking her head. "_No one._ They don't trust me for my blood; they trust me for _me_. And yes, it looks like I may be making friends here, but that's without them knowing anything about my heritage."

"And if they were to find out about the strange coincidence surrounding your expulsion?" Karkaroff asked, an eyebrow raised. "You would have every newspaper at your front door, no parent trusting Silvergates to have you there. You'd be expelled, left on your own with the entire wizarding world mistrusting you just like they did to your great-great grandmother!" he said in a voice very close to a hiss

"You don't scare me," Riley said in a low voice, her eyes narrowed defiantly. "I know that you tipped Rita Skeeter off about my heritage, but so help me if that story ever gets printed, I will be in Azkaban for _two_ murders."

"We'll see," Karkaroff said, turning around and walking off.

Riley waited until Karkaroff was gone, then turned and backed up, setting her back against the wall and sliding down to the ground. She reached back and pulled the hairtie out of her hair, leaning her head back against the wall. She closed her eyes and thought miserably, _This can't be happening. When will it end?_

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	12. Chapter 10: Two Boys, One Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Ten: Two Boys, One Girl

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"_Unbelievable_!" Riley yelled as she stormed through the hallway, flinging her hands up in the air. "It's a catastrophe, _the end of the world!_ Here I thought that Harry and I getting thrown into the Tournament was bad luck, but _this_!"

Harry stared, wide-eyed as Riley stormed down the hallway out of Snape's classroom, Fred, George, Jordan and Aria running after her. Harry had been talking to Ron and Hermione when Snape's classroom doors had flung open and Riley stormed out, shoulders hunched and steam practically rising off of her as she flung the doors so hard that they slammed back against the walls.

"Did I miss an earthquake?" Harry asked in confusion.

"We just found out about the Ball," Aria explained more calmly, looking around awkwardly.

"It's not bad enough that I have to participate in a tournament that could easily kill me, but now I have to go to _a dance!_" Riley exclaimed in rage and disbelief.

"It won't be _that_ bad," Fred said, looking at Riley as though she'd just told him that she was from Mars.

"As long as Hagrid doesn't choose the music," Jordan agreed, shrugging carelessly.

"No, you don't understand," Riley stammered as she shook her head and talked way too fast. "This is an omen, a bad, _bad_ omen. No good can come of it."

"You sound like Professor Trelawney right now," Hermione said bitterly, as though imagining the Divinations teacher right now, the one teacher in the school that she hated.

"There's a reason that we don't attend even _our own_ school's dances anymore," Aria pointed out more calmly. "Every time we go to one - well, when _Riley_ goes to them, anyway - something bad happens."

"Surely that's just a coincidence," Hermione said reasonably.

"No, you have _no_ idea," Riley said, shaking her head.

Aria held a hand up to her friend and said to Hermione, "When Riley was at Durmstrang, there was this big dance, one that they hold only like every one hundred and fifty years, I guess. While they were there, Karkaroff and the band members were underneath the a mystical chandelier that's over a thousand years old when Riley's wand misfired and sent the thing crashing down on them, broke six bones in each of them. The drummer even had a piece of the chandelier penetrate one of his ribs."

Fred narrowed his eyes in confusion as he looked at Riley and asked, "_Why_ did you have a wand on you at a school dance, and _where_ did you keep it?"

"Wow," George said, his eyes wide in shock as he and the others ignored his brother. "And I thought _we_ caused problems."

"And at Silvergates," Aria continued, sounding extremely nervous and awkward. "There's a dance that the school has every year. Our first year there, Riley ended up in a duel in the middle of the dance because one of the guys called a first-year a Mudblood, and said that she had no talent whatsoever in magics and didn't deserve to live. She beat the guy, _literally_, and sent him to the hospital wing."

"And I'd do it again," Riley said, her eyes narrowed angrily.

"Later that year," Aria continued uncomfortably, "At a different dance, there was a _small_ incident where Riley got pissed off and a bunch of animals ended up crashing the party and destroying everything, including the band's equipment, which _I_ had to pay for," she added bitterly, looking over at Riley through narrowed eyes.

"Wait, how could you be responsible for animals coming into the castle?" Ron asked, confused.

"Well," Riley said awkwardly. "When I get mad, I have a tendency to emit some kind of magical energy that attracts animals like wolves and snakes, and some of the kids got bitten by poisonous snakes and trampled by the wolves. That one almost got me expelled."

"You really _are_ burdened with bad luck," Jordan said, his eyes wide with amusement and interest, as though seeing Riley as a goddess.

"And with the pressure that's on this dance, I'm positive that someone is going to die," Riley said, clenching her fists tightly. "And it's not like I can _not_ go. I have to go _and_ dance, which means that there's going to be an even greater catastrophe than if _I just had to show up_!" she exclaimed, and Aria set a hand on her back to try to calm her down, though Riley barely seemed to notice from all of the panting with exhaustion.

"Professor Snape made that very clear," Fred agreed, looking at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "_All_ of the Champions have to go, and can't leave early."

"So I heard," Harry said bitterly, remembering McGonagall's face and silent threat. He looked at Riley and said, "Hey, we'll all be there this time, so it shouldn't be like any of the other times, right?"

"That's what I'm afraid of," Riley said, walking past Harry and down the hallway.

Fred hesitated, and then followed Riley away, trying to think of something comforting to say. Finally he, caught up to her when they were far away from everyone else, and he said, "Really, Riley, it won't be that bad, and if it is, it won't be because of you."

Riley stopped and turned around. She let out a sigh and covered her eyes with her hands. "I really don't want to do this," she muttered.

"I know," Fred admitted with a nod, only to grin and add, "But if we go, then we can mock everyone who's there, including Karkaroff."

Riley smiled, as though loving that idea and she said, "Oh, I hadn't even thought of _that_."

Fred shrugged and said, "See? It won't be that bad. Just keep imagining him in whatever ugly dress robes he might be wearing to the ball."

Riley leaned back against the rail behind her, her left hand backwards on her hip and her right palm on the back of her neck, beneath her hair. She shook her head and shrugged, saying in an exhausted tone, "I guess it's not just the Tournament that's bothering me. It's everything, especially Karkaroff."

"What do you mean?" Fred asked, surprised and confused. "What about him?"

Riley rolled her eyes and set her hands backwards on her hips as she looked around and muttered under her breath, "He's determined to make my life a living hell. He hates me, and he has the resources and balls to go through with his plans, even if it means getting himself into trouble. He's a worthless bastard, but he's a resourceful and vengeful worthless bastard."

Fred couldn't help but laugh as he said with a grin, "Wow, you really hate that guy, don't you?" When Riley didn't say anything, Fed frowned and narrowed his eyes as he asked suspiciously, "What, exactly, did he do to you?"

Riley let out a sigh, shaking her head as she narrowed her eyes at the ground and said, "It doesn't matter, at least not right now. It was three years ago, and the sooner it's put behind me, the better off I'll be. If anything happens at this Ball, though, you can bet your life that he'll use it as means to get Silvergates banned from ever coming back, and I have to do everything in my power to make sure that that doesn't happen, for my sake and the sake of others."

Fred frowned, an idea coming to mind. "Well, why don't _we_ go together?"

Riley blinked several times before she looked as Fred, her expression as though she'd just waken from a confusing dream. "_What?_" she asked, as though not having heard Fred.

"You and me, go to the Yule Ball together," Fred said as he shrugged dismissively. "Doesn't have to be a date, just... Look, this way, if something does go wrong, we'll brave it together." He hesitated, and then asked, "I mean, we _are_ friends, right?"

Riley nodded without hesitation and folded her arms, turning to look at Fred as she said, "Of course. I just, I hadn't thought of it, that's all. It took me by surprise."

"So, we on?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley hesitated, and then smiled up at Fred before nodding and saying, "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"You don't mind?" Fred asked, wanting to make sure that she wasn't just second-guessing.

Riley shook her head and smiled before saying, "Not at all. I'd love to, as long as you don't mind putting yourself in death's path and dancing with me, though I'm not sure which will be worse and take more courage."

Fred chuckled and said, "I don't mind. I promise to brave myself for anything," he teased, going along with her sarcasm.

Riley nodded. "Then we're on." She reached out and shook Fred's hand, only to glance at her watch and say, "Oh, crap!"

"What is it?" Fred asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Oh, I have to go meet Draco and help him with his homework," Riley said as she pulled her hand away. "He's bringing his practice tests for Charms and Potions today, so it'll take longer than normal."

"Trust Malfoy to ruin the moment," Fred muttered under his breath with a roll of his eyes. Riley looked at him with an annoyed expression, and he said, "All right, all right. Go on."

Riley nodded and said, "Thanks, Fred, for inviting me. I'll see you later tonight, and remember your homework." With that, she ran off down the hallway, Fred chuckling and shaking his head as he watched her leave.

* * *

Riley ran down the hallway toward Slytherin's common room, holding onto her backpack as she did. She'd surprised herself by how much time she spent with the Hogwarts kids, as opposed to her own classmates. There weren't many of them there at Hogwarts, but she only spent the weekends with them, working on the egg. She'd spent very little time with it, and at this point she was ready to take it and go jump in a lake, she was so confused. Spending time with the Hogwarts kids made all of her worries about the task go away, along with her concerns about the egg.

Soon, Riley found herself making her way into the Slytherin common room, only to be surprised when she saw Pansy standing in the common room, her arms folded as she faced Draco in what appeared to be an argument. Her weight was shifted to one side, and Riley focused on her hearing in order to hear what they were saying.

"But you said that you would go with _me_." That was Pansy.

"I know what I said, but give me time to decide," Draco retorted, attempting to be quiet. "You're not the only person in the world that deserves consideration, Pansy."

Riley felt bad, as though she was invading his privacy, and she suddenly retracted her hearing, trying to look like she wasn't listening. Draco then noticed her and blinked in surprise. He muttered something to Pansy, and she walked off, not saying another word.

Once Pansy was gone, Draco smiled over at Riley, his eyes switching from serious to bright so quickly that Riley was almost wondering if he'd been serious at all the moment before. "Riley," he said in a bright voice.

"Hey, Draco," Riley said as she walked over. "Did I interrupt something?" she asked, trying to play innocent and ignorant.

Draco shook his head and lied as he said, "No, not at all. Pansy just wanted some information on something we were talking about earlier, but it's all right."

"Ready to get started on those practice tests?" Riley asked.

"Yeah," Draco said, walking over to his backpack, which was sitting on one of the chairs. He opened the flap and reached in to grab two sets of parchment. He handed them to Riley and said, "These are the notes, and these," he said as he reached into the bag and grabbed another couple sets of paper, "Are the practice tests."

"All right," Riley said as she walked over to one of the chairs. She sat down on the ground and leaned back against the chair, propping her legs up in front of her with the notes on her lap as she looked. "Let's see what we've got here."

"So, have you worked on the egg at all?" Draco asked as he sat down beside Riley, but he was sitting at an angle that was perpendicular to the way she sat.

"Some," Riley said, not looking up from the paper in her hands.

"You wanna share any ideas?"

"I _would_, if not for the fact that your House is hosting Viktor Krum," Riley said, smiling as she looked up from the papers and looked at Draco.

"You think I would give away the secrets of the task?" Draco asked, sounding hurt as he pointed to himself.

"I think that Viktor Krum is very popular and could talk a snake out of its own skin, speaking from experience," Riley said, smiling in amusement. When Draco blinked in surprise, Riley rolled her eyes and explained, "He's my friend, but in this Tournament, friendship doesn't matter."

"Thanks for the confidence boost," Draco said sarcastically.

"You participate in the TriWizard Tournament and tell me how much faith _you're_ willing to entrust in people," Riley chuckled, looking back at the notes.

"I see your point," Draco admitted.

"_Mmhmm_," Riley said, flipping the page and making mental notes.

"Hey, Riley," Draco said awkwardly.

"Yeah?" Riley asked, flipping through Draco's Potions notes.

"Would you be interested in going to the Yule Ball with me?"

Riley stopped where she was reading and stared at the page for what seemed like forever, but was only a few seconds. She looked over at Draco, who was staring at her with clear, serious eyes, and she said sincerely, "I wish you'd asked me an hour ago."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, tilting his head to the side somewhat.

"Fred Weasley asked me just before I came over," Riley explained.

"Weasley?" Draco asked disbelievingly, raising an eyebrow.

Riley nodded. "I was with Snape's class when he explained what was going on with the Yule Ball, and Fred asked me when the class was over."

"Are you two going out?" Riley was surprised when Draco asked.

"Are we-" Riley began, and then shook her head in alarm. "No! No, of course not. Draco, Fred's just my friend."

"So…" Draco prompted, but didn't finish the sentence.

Riley hesitated and set the notes down on her lap, looking at them before back at Draco. "Draco, I like you and Fred a lot, but I'm here for the TriWizard tournament, not to find someone to date. It wasn't in my plans to participate to begin with, but I'm only going this ball because I'm a Champion. And when this year's over, I'm going to be gone."

Draco nodded and said simply, "I get it. I was just wondering."

Riley nodded and said, "I'm glad you asked, really."

"Would you be willing to dance with me at the ball?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley smiled and said sincerely, "I'd be happy to."

"Ready to get back to the notes?" Draco asked, sitting down so that he was sitting right by her, looking at the notes.

Riley nodded and said, "You did well through most of these, but there's this one point right here..."

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	13. Chapter 11: French Persuasion

A/N: Okay, I had a blast writing this chapter, just because I got to look up French words and kinda learned what they meant. If it's not perfect, please excuse me, but I did my best, and considering that my knowledge of French is limited to 'hello' I'm sure that I screwed up somewhere. However, there are translations for those, like me, who only speak English.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

Chapter Eleven: French Persuasion

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"Hermione, why don't you put Ron out of his misery and just tell him who you're going with?" Aria asked, trying not to laugh as she walked with Hermione and Ginny.

"Because Ron's being a giant git about the whole thing, and she's afraid that he'll react badly," Ginny teased.

"_Ginny!_" Hermione exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well?" Ginny retorted. "Can't deny it, can you?"

"The part about him being a git, no," Hermione said, not bothering to hide her irritation. "Honestly, if it wouldn't hurt Harry so much, I'd boil Ron in lava."

"Oh, you're almost as bad as Riley when you get mad," Aria chuckled in amusement. "Although, if I remember right, she prefers using acid..." she said as her thoughts trailed off.

"Who are _you_ going with?" Ginny asked, looking over at Aria.

"Me," a voice said, and George suddenly appeared from the adjoining hallway, smiling down at his sister and friends. "Right, Aria?" he asked, his eyes filled with an unmistakable attraction as he looked down at Aria, one that only Aria seemed unaware of.

Aria blushed, and Ginny looked up at the ceiling, muttering to herself, "Why do I even bother asking?"

"What about Ron and Harry?" Aria asked, looking up at George.

"Still the only dateless people in Hogwarts," George said, smiling as he set his hands in his pockets, pushing his robes back. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that every girl in this place has ganged up on those two, not that I mind."

"I'm sure you don't," Ginny teased. "You know, it's a shame that Ron approached Fleur so roughly. It would have been interesting to see those two go to the Ball together."

"She's not a bad girl, you know," Aria said, thinking of the Beauxbatons Champion. "A little on the flaunty and arrogant side, maybe, but not bad."

"You know her?" George asked, sounding both curious and intrigued. "From your time at Beauxbatons?"

Aria nodded. "Yeah, I was only there for a year, but they have this program where they set up first years with an older student, and her best friend was mine. Shame Elise didn't make it... I was kinda hoping she would, but apparently she could sick..."

"So, her stuck-up attitude has nothing to do with her real personality?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed again.

"Well?" Ginny asked in retort. "She always walks around like she's the best at everything."

"Well, she's definitely strong and creative," Hermione pointed out. "And being a Champion, she needs to be clear and firm with everyone."

"Clear and firm is one thing," George pointed out. "Being stuck-up and indifferent about everything is another."

"Hey guys," Aria said, a thought coming to mind. "I'm going to go check something out, okay?"

"Aria?" Fleur asked in surprise as she saw Aria walk up. She whispered something to her friends and watched as they walked off, leaving Riley alone.

"Bonjour, Fleur," Aria said, smiling as she stopped a few feet away from Fleur.

"Bonjour," Fleur said, sounding impressed. "Je suis surpris de vous voir vous souvenir de votre français." _I am surprised to see you remember your French._

Aria shook her head and chuckled as she said, "Cela a seulement été trois ans, Fleur. Pas cela longtemps." _It has only been three years, Fleur. Not that long._

Fleur shrugged and asked, "Ainsi, comment l'Amérique a-t-elle été pour vous?" _So, how has America been for you?_

Aria shrugged and replied, "Pas mal." _Not bad. I came to ask you a question, a favor. _"Je suis venu pour vous poser une question, une faveur."

"Faveur?" Fleur asked in surprise, folding her arms. Her eyes filled with amusement as she chuckled, only to add in a marveled tone, "Aujourd'hui est un jour spécial, aider, Aria Hardwick." _Today is a special day, to help Aria Hardwick._

Aria chuckled. "Vous êtes trop gentils." You are too kind. "Avez-vous une escorte à la boule?" _Do you have an escort to the ball?_

Fleur raised an eyebrow, and said, "Pas encore, mais j'irai faire assez bientôt." _Not yet, but I shall soon enough._

Aria smiled. "I may have someone for you."

"Oh?" Fleur asked, changing languages, as well.

"Stick your neck out for me for one night," Aria insisted with a smile. "Please. Comme un ami." _As a friend._

Fleur rolled her eyes and said in a submissive tone, "Très bien, j'écouterai." _Very well, I will listen._

"All right, who's the queen?" Aria asked, holding her hands up and indicating to herself as she walked into the Gryffindor common room, where Riley was looking over a book with Fred, George was talking to Angelina, Harry, Ron and Hermione were studying, and Ginny was sitting nearby and reading a book.

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked, looking over at Aria as though she was a mad woman.

"Ron's officially got a date to the Yule Ball," Aria said, holding her hands behind her back.

"What? Who?" Hermione asked, looking from Aria to Ron expectantly. "When did this happen?"

"I don't know," Ron said awkwardly, looking at Aria. "What are you going on about?"

"Let's see," Aria said, folding her arms. "Tall, blonde, kinda snotty..."

"I have no idea who you're talking about," Ron said, shrugging.

"To put it in simpler words," Aria said, smiling knowingly as she then said in perfect French, "_Le champion français_."

For a moment, there was nothing heard but silence. Then, Ginny said, her eyes wide in amazement, "Wait, repeat that again."

"That was enough for _me_ to understand," Fred said, looking at Aria in astonishment.

"Me, too," Hermione and Harry said in unison, looking over at Ron, who was staring at Aria with his mouth wide open, not saying a word or even blinking.

"Ron, did you hear that?" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes wide in astonishment. "_Fleur's agreed to go with you to the Yule Ball!_" She looked back at Aria and said, "That _is_ what you said, right?"

Aria nodded and said, "Yes, she's agreed to go with Ron."

"I don't believe it," Ron said, shaking his head as he looked at Aria. "Are you sure she knew it was _me?_"

"I was very clear," Aria said with a nod, her smirk unwavering0. "It gave me a chance to brush up on my French, my talking to her."

"How'd you do it?" Riley asked in disbelief, smiling brightly at Aria..

Aria shrugged and said, "Fleur is an old friend of mine, so I asked her for a favor."

"And that was it?" George asked in disbelief.

"Well, that and the fact that I told her Ron would be dancing with her in the opening dance," Aria said, smiling in amusement at Ron.

All of a sudden, all of the color drained from Ron's face again.

"Oh, get over it, Ron," Ginny said, shaking her brother by the shoulders. "You've got a date to the dance, a beautiful one, too; and it's _Fleur_!"

"Now, I'm the only one without someone to go with," Harry pointed out regretfully.

"Why don't we go together, Harry?" Angelina asked, looking over at Harry.

Harry blinked in surprise as he looked over at Angelina. "Us?"

Angelina shrugged. "Sure, why not? I don't have anyone to go with, and we're mates, right?"

"Of course," Harry said, sounding surprised and pleased.

"Then it's settled," Aria said, shrugging as she shifted her weight to her right. "Everyone's got someone suitable to go with."

"What about _you_, Riley?" Ginny asked, looking over at Riley.

"I have actually had to _choose_ who to go with," Riley said, and then nodded to Fred. "But I'm going with Fred."

"Really?" Fred asked in surprise, looking down at Riley. "You had other people ask you?"

"Yes, Fred, I _am_ a girl, and since I'm a Champion, I _do_ have choices," Riley said sarcastically back at Fred, who looked embarrassed.

"No, that's not what I meant," Fred said, shaking his head as everyone else tried not to laugh at the stupidity of his word choice. Riley was a beautiful girl, so no one was surprised that she'd been asked by more than one person. "What I mean is, you actually had to _choose_?"

"No," Riley said, shaking her head. "I just had choices, that's all."

"Who else asked you?" Hermione asked curiously, looking back at Riley.

Riley hesitated, looking somewhat awkward as she said, "Well, a fifth-year from Durmstrang who remembered me when I attended there (Angelina looked around in surprise, not having known this), two Beauxbatons boys, Seamus from here – though he retracted the offer when I told him who I was planning on going with – and Draco Malfoy."

Everyone in the room suddenly went silent, and Ron asked in surprise, "_Malfoy_ asked you to go?"

"When was this?" Fred asked in surprise.

Riley shrugged and said, "The same night that you asked me; about an hour afterward."

"I didn't know he was interested in you," Angelina said, sounding surprised and intrigued. "You interested back?"

Riley shook her head. "No, not really. It's like I told him; I'm here for the TriWizard Tournament, not to date. Anything beyond that is extra. I didn't come here to fall in love or get a boyfriend, because when the year's over, I'll be gone and I won't be coming back, and I won't do a 3,500-mile relationship."

Ginny noticed that Fred's face, which had been serious before, looked somewhat thoughtful now, and she frowned, wondering if her brother was sad about this, or if he and Riley had ever discussed it before. He wasn't as forward about it as George was with Aria, but she was almost positive that he had feelings for Riley, even if he didn't know it.

Angelina nodded. "Makes sense."

"Well, we all need to be getting down to dinner," George said awkwardly. "It's time to begin dinner soon, and all this talk about Malfoy's starting to make me feel sick."

"Here, here," Hermione and Ron said in agreement, and the group began to walk away, leaving behind all thoughts of the Tournament and ball for the meantime.

* * *

A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	14. Chapter 12: Acid of Revenge

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twelve: Acid of Revenge

* * *

Fred and George laughed as they walked out of Moody's classroom with Riley, their eyes lit up with amusement as George said, "I can't believe that you corrected Moody and were actually correct."

"Well, it happens," Riley said, shrugging carelessly as she came out. "I like that professor of yours, but even he isn't always right, and I wasn't going to let him teach you all wrong and then pick up the pieces of brain matter after you guys blow yourselves to smithereens."

"I like this girl," George said, shaking his head. "I really, really like you, Riley. You really need to leave Silvergates and come to Hogwarts. With you, we might get through next year without nearly getting kicked out."

Riley rolled her eyes and said, "Thank you, but I actually like Silvergates. There's a lot of information about that place that is definitely interesting, and there's a lot more that I want to learn about the treasures it has before making any changes. Something tells me that I could spend a lifetime researching and never have the power necessary to unlock all of the mysteries within."

"Hey, Riley!" a voice said, one that made Fred almost flinch.

Everyone looked around to see Malfoy walking over, ignoring the others as he walked up to Riley and said, "Come on, I want you to see the Quidditch team practice. Flint heard that you're a Seeker, and wants to see what you're like up on a broom."

"You're a Seeker?" George asked in surprise, looking at Riley. "You never mentioned that."

Riley shrugged and said dismissively, "I'm not a stranger to the game, even if our school doesn't have any teams. We have another sport that we pursue – if you can call it a sport – and I'm actively involved in it. But during the summer, those of us that stayed behind at Silvergates put teams together and we played Quidditch quite a bit." She looked at Malfoy and said, "Where's he at?"

"Quidditch field," Malfoy explained with a nod behind him, "Along with the rest of the team."

"All right," Riley said, and then turned to the guys to say, "See ya later." She looked at Malfoy and insisted, "Draco, this counts as your lesson for the day."

"I understand," Malfoy said, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Go on, I'll catch up with you in a minute after I talk to Professor Moody."

"All right," Riley said before turning and walking off. As she did, Fred noticed that Malfoy's eyes stayed on her every step of the way, his eyes deep in thought and amusement. Something about the way that Malfoy looked at her made Fred extremely uncomfortable, even angry. Malfoy, standing almost fifteen feet away, turned toward the twins and began to walk toward them, not saying a thing as he did.

George and Fred began to walk down the hallway, and as he passed Malfoy, Fred felt an overwhelming urge to punch Malfoy, to give him a dent in his forehead that his father could see from wherever he was standing right now. Instead, he grabbed Malfoy by the upper arm and yanked him around, glaring at him through narrowed eyes.

"Let go of me, you filthy blood traitor!" Malfoy yelled, trying to yank his arm away, but Fred proved too strong, holding on as tightly as he could.

"Fred!" George exclaimed in surprise. It was clear that no one had expected this, especially when they saw the intensity in Fred's eyes.

"What do you think you're doing with Riley, Malfoy?" Fred snapped defensively.

"What's it to you?" Malfoy asked through narrowed eyes, glaring up at Fred. "What I do is _my_ business, and _definitely_ not the likes of yours."

"I saw you with her in the library yesterday, then after Potions, and then again after your Defense Against the Dark Arts class," Fred snapped.

Malfoy glared hatefully at Fred and asked, "What if you did? It's _my_ business who I chose to spend my time with."

"If I find out that you're planning on using her in some way..." Fred began, gripping even tighter on Malfoy's arm.

"You'll do what?" Malfoy asked, reaching back with one hand to his back pocket, where his wand was rested. "Tell me, Weasley, I'm curious to know what you'll do."

"You don't want to know," Fred said through narrowed eyes.

"Oh, yes I do," Malfoy said, clearly taunting Fred. "Why are you suddenly so interested in who I hang out with?" His eyes widened with amusement in malice. "Or is this not about me?" When Fred's eyes narrowed, Malfoy laughed and said, "This is about _Riley!_ You're in love with a Pureblood. How _amusing_."

"Your infatuation with her is all because she's a Pureblood?" George asked in disbelief as he walked to stand beside George, no longer angry at him.

Malfoy shrugged. "I have to admit that it is a bonus."

Fred suddenly punched Malfoy in the face, causing him to stumble backward in surprise, moaning loudly as he grabbed at his nose. George stared at his brother in surprise and pleasure. For as much as they'd done to Malfoy and the people in Slytherin before, Fred had never punched Malfoy. Secretly, George wished that he'd done it first.

"You're a pig, Malfoy," Fred said, his anger rising. "You're just using her, aren't you? Trying to get into Silvergates' back pocket as a way of getting on Daddy's good side? After all, what more would Daddy love than to have his son end up with a powerful witch that stands to inherit a lot of money and fame if she should win the tournament?"

"This has _nothing_ to do with Father," Malfoy snapped back, and then narrowed his eyes with pleasure again as he said, "Honestly, I'm legitimately into her, not that it's any of _your_ business. I happen to know that she's just entertaining you lot by making you think that she's your friend." He looked Fred directly in the eye, only to see them heating up with anger and offense. "Besides, Weasley, do you _really_ think you have a chance with someone like her? Someone of standing? You're nothing but a rotten blood traitor, and so is the rest of your family. You're not worth stepping over. Riley's going to the Ball with you for the pure fact that she pities you, and is too polite to have refused you. Had I gotten to her first, she would have accepted my invite."

Fred, his patience clearly running dry, punched Malfoy and sent him stumbling backward in surprise. He then walked up to him while he was doubled over, grabbed him by the head with his hands, and kneed him in the face, knocking him back to the ground. As Malfoy began to stumble to his feet, Fred quickly drew his wand, pointed it at Malfoy and yelled loudly, "_Aeternus eternus vomere acidus!_"  
Malfoy suddenly fell to his knees, gripping at his stomach for a moment before he laid both hands on the ground. He started heaving, until at last, he began to throw up, only out of his mouth didn't come vomit, but some bright green color that began to spread, eating away through the ground. He gasped, his eyes huge as he continued to throw it up, whatever it was. George felt horror and confusion run through him as he watched, as well as awe. Whatever Fred had done, it was working, and extremely well.

"What did you do?" George exclaimed, turning to look at his brother.

Fred didn't seem to notice George's comment, his eyes glued to Malfoy, not even blinking. George looked between the two, wondering what was going between Fred and Malfoy, something more than normally hatred. True, Malfoy wasn't exactly the biggest fan of the Weasleys, and Fred had had plenty of reasons to attack Malfoy, but Fred had never acted upon those desires before, not really. He'd left that to Harry, Hermione and Ron.

"Weasley!" a voice yelled.

George turned around in surprise and alarm, only to see Snape storming down the hallway with McGonagall. Snape looked outraged, ready to kill in fact, and McGonagall looked confused. George walked up to Fred and hissed under his breath, "You might want to do something, Fred, before we both get expelled."

"Just, a minute, longer," Fred said, his eyes blazing with revenge as he watched Malfoy scream as he continued to throw up.

"Help!" Malfoy cried out, but his voice was cut off as he continued to throw up.

"Weasley, what is going on?" McGonagall asked as she drew closer.

As Fred blinked, the pile of green suddenly disappeared and Malfoy stopped vomiting. Malfoy gasped for air and began to look around, grabbing at his throat. He pointed his finger at Fred, but couldn't say anything.

"Speak up, boy!" Snape snapped angrily, glaring at .

"What happened, Mr. Weasley?"

"I don't know," Fred said simply. "I just showed up and here he was, bent over and crying for help. Didn't have time to get any by the time you showed up."

Malfoy glared angrily and spitefully at Fred, but said nothing. He couldn't. His throat was burnt dry without hope of recovery in time to rat him out.

"Well, let's get him to the hospital wing," McGonagall said, and then said to Snape, "And don't say anything until we learn the truth. Madam Pomfrey should be able to take care of Mr. Malfoy."

Snape and McGonagall led Malfoy away, and before George could turn to question his brother, Fred was storming off. Standing there, George felt as though he hadn't been a part of that argument at all, as though it had been between Fred and Malfoy on a completely different plane altogether.

Fred was sitting in one of the chairs that faced the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, his feet rested up on the coffee table in the center of the room. He had his left elbow rested on the edge of the chair, a textbook in his lap and his eyes focused on the fire. He was turning his quill over and over in his fingers, his mind on Malfoy and Riley. He kept replaying the events of earlier that day, reliving the experience of seeing Malfoy vomit acid. He knew that he'd dealt with the situation wrong, but he wouldn't have taken it back for anything.

* * *

All of a sudden, there was a big "_bang!_" and Fred turned his head to see Riley storming into the common room, completely tense and her shoulders hunched. Fred didn't have to guess twice as to what made her so mad.

"What _the hell_ is your problem?" Riley exclaimed, her eyes blazing with anger.

Fred looked up at Riley through narrowed eyes and asked coldly, "Which one are we talking about now? Because there's a whole list that you could choose from, I'm sure."

"I was up on a broom with the Slytherin Quidditch players when I see Snape coming out," Riley began furiously. "He calls us down and tells me that Draco has been sent to the medical wing because his throat has been burned so badly by throwing up acid that he can't talk, and blood has swelled up in his throat. Promfrey was lucky to get it all out and heal the skin."

"Glad to see my point got across," Fred said bluntly.

"So you _are_ the one who did it," Riley said coldly.

"Yeah, I did," Fred said, closing his book. "After you left, we got into something of a fight."

"And a duel?" Riley asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Fred admittedly halfheartedly. "One-sided, anyway. Didn't give him the chance to attack me."

"What could he have _possibly_ said to have made you that mad?" Riley asked in confusion.

"That's between me and him," Fred said sharply, his eyes narrowed bitterly. "Although, if you want to go to the dance with him, go with him. Don't stay with me just to make me feel better."

"You think I want to go to the Yule Ball with Draco?" Riley asked, clearly astonished.

"Don't you?"

"Are you retracting your invitation?" Riley retorted.

"Should I?" Fred snapped, narrowing his eyes defensively.

Riley folded her arms and said in an irritated voice, "I understand that you're a guy, and these things often don't get through your skull easily, but if I hadn't wanted to go with you, I wouldn't have accepted your offer. I'm not like most girls, if you can't already tell; I don't enjoy playing mind games. Draco is a nice guy - to the people he _wants_ to be nice to - but if you have a problem or doubts, take them up with me, _not_ him."

"There was more to it than just you," Fred said as he looked away. "But yeah, you were the bulk of it."

"Let me guess, he made some crack about me being a Pureblood and better than you?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow. Fred looked at her in alarm, and Riley rolled her eyes to say, "Good grief, Fred, you treat me as though I'm a baby. Do you _really_ think that Draco is the first person that I've run into who believes that Purebloods are better than Muggleborns or half-bloods?"

"Well, I just thought-" Fred began to stutter.

"Fred, _I'm_ a Pureblood," Riley said, walking over and sitting down on the coffee table as she faced Fred. "By that fact alone, I've been faced with the stereotype that I'm better than everyone. I live in the Slytherin house, a house made up almost _completely_ of Purebloods with egotistical maniacs for parents who believe that anyone not magical is worthless. But my best friend is a half-blood, I hang out with Muggleborns, I treat everyone equally, and I don't give a crap while I'm doing it; so get over your insecurities - especially considering that you're a Pureblood, too - and accept the fact that while yes, I like Draco, I'm not going to have the same opinions as him."

"So you can be friends with a guy whose family believes that me and my family are scum because of what we believe?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley shook her head. "Draco doesn't really believe that. He's a sheep, following after what his father says because he doesn't know anything different. He hears his dad going on and on about a certain belief and state of mind, so that's what he's adapted himself to. But in reality, he doesn't care."

"You have more faith in him than I do," Fred muttered.

"Well, fortunately for me," Riley began in a matter-of-fact tone, "I don't _need_ you to like him. But I _would_ appreciate it, as a friend, if you would trust me. If I say that I want to go to the Ball with you, I want to go with you."

Fred rolled his eyes and said, "Fine." Riley raised an eyebrow at him, and he said sincerely, "I get it. I just find it extremely weird to have a friend that is friends with someone I despise."

"I know," Riley said, shrugging. "But please trust me."

"I will," Fred said, shrugging. "Well, I'll do my best."

Riley nodded and said, "All right. Now, are you ready to work on homework?"

"Yes," Fred said, sounding grateful. "Maybe you can help me, because arithmetic makes no sense."

Riley chuckled and said, "You will never change." Then she said more seriously, "But wait a minute, I have a question first."

"Yeah?" Fred asked warily.

"Where in the hell did you get the idea to use _acid_?"

* * *

A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	15. Chapter 13: Moody's Interrogation

Chapter Thirteen: Moody's Interrogation

* * *

The group walked into the classroom and after an okay from Professor Moody about Riley and Aria's participation, Riley and Aria stood at the back of the classroom while they watched the kids organize into two lines. Riley recognized two Gryffindors she had gotten to know in the past several weeks, Lee Jordan and Angelina Johnson, a Gryffindor Chaser. Riley knew a lot about Quidditch and was on the Slytherin team at Silvergates, playing as the Seeker. She also played the position of Beater really well, since that was the first position she had played back when she was at Durmstrang.

"All right," Professor Moody said as he thumped around with his walking stick. "Today you're all going to learn how to work a silent spell. Who knows how to and why they're useful? Anyone? Anyone?"

When no one raised their hand, Riley did. Professor Moody grunted in acknowledgment to her. "Silent spells are simply that, thinking the spell with all of one's concentration and energy and converting it into performing the spell. By using a silent spell, it gives the user an advantage over the enemy, even if only a moment's."

Professor Moody nodded and trudged along. "See? You should all work harder to know your spells like O'Malley over there. I presume, then, that since you know what they are and how they're used that you can perform on, O'Malley?" he barked. "After all, I heard about your success in the First Task, and was lucky enough to see the ending of it myself."

Riley raised an eyebrow and in a mere second, drew her wand, aimed it at Professor Moody, knowing full well the response she would get, and thought, _Aquius_ _draco!_

As the water dragon erupted from the end of her wand and rushed out toward Moody, tearing right through the center of the two rows of kids, Moody spun around and pointed his wand out. A flash of red shot from the end of the wand and hit the wave of water, sending it farther back. The dragon was only a third of the size of the one she'd used in the First Task, but it got the same response from all of the kids. Riley could hear the gasps of shock and awe and as she stared at Moody, she was surprised to see the strength he was using in keeping her water attack back, and the look of what she was sure she must have misread as anger in his eyes. She then called off the attack and so did he. Water fell all over the ground, followed by claps from the students.

Professor Moody nodded, clearly catching his breath. "See? See? She's got the idea, and two years younger than the rest of you in school! You all need to work harder, you lazy lot of slugs. Now, I want you to all work on the disarming spell, _expelliarmus_, and use it against the person across from you."

Riley watched as the sixth years attempted to use the silent spells, and none were successful at first. She focused her hearing for any signs of cheating. She blinked in surprise when she heard Fred silently mutter, "_Expelliarmus_." George's wand went flying from his hand.

"Well done," Professor Moody said, clearly not having caught the nearly impossible to hear whisper.

Riley nudged Aria's arm. She looked at her and Riley said under her breath, just loud enough to hear, "Do it to Fred."

Aria raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The ear thing?" she asked knowingly.

Riley closed her eyes but said nothing.

Aria shrugged. "Okay," she said sighing, then instantly drew her wand and in the same movement, pointed it at Fred and Riley could just imagine her thinking, "_Silencio_!"

A flash of blue shot across the room and hit Fred hard. Fred dropped his wand and his hands shot over his mouth in shock, his eyes huge.

"What's going on?" Professor Moody exclaimed.

"Someone decided to cheat," Riley said, smiling mockingly at Fred, who looked up at her in shock.

Professor Moody raised an eyebrow at Fred and asked, "Did you?" When Fred didn't give any indication, Professor Moody barked, "If you don't tell me one way or another I'll have those girls leave this charm on you forever!"

Fred instantly nodded, looking terrified at that prospect.

Professor Moody grunted and smiled up at Riley. "Well caught," he said. "Even _I_ didn't hear him say that." He frowned and narrowed his eyes as he looked up at her. "You must have the hearing of a wolf."

Riley and Aria both smiled, trying not to laugh.

Professor Moody nodded. "I'd like to see you after class, O'Malley."

Riley nodded, curious as to what the great Auror had to say to her.

Ten minutes before the class period was over, and after Fred's voice had been returned to him, Professor Moody allowed everyone to return to their seats. Riley and Aria stood at the back of the classroom. As Professor Moody wrote down the assignment on the chalkboard and spoke, Riley folded her arms and watched as Fred and George sent paper birds flying at one another, both of whom ended up attacking the other and ending up in shreds on the desks.

Then the bell rang and as everyone piled out of the room, Fred and George said, "See ya later, Riley. Tell us all about your meeting with Moody later." Then everyone left Riley alone with Professor Moody. Riley made her way down the steps, swinging her arms casually as she did so.

"Come with me," Professor Moody said as he walked into his office. Riley followed and sat down in a chair across from Professor Moody's, where he sat behind his desk. He groaned and said, "Riley O'Malley, daughter of Helen and Stephen O'Malley."

"So you've heard of me," Riley said, flipping her hair back over her right shoulder with a single movement of her head.

"Ah, yes, I know quite a bit about you and your family," Professor Moody said. "As well as what's hidden under your right wristband."

Riley raised an eyebrow, but didn't move any other muscle as she said, "I'm sure you do. Your penetrative abilities are as attuned as my hearing."

"So I've witnessed," Moody said grumpily.

Riley silently took in a deep breath, her eyes narrowing in surprise and suspicion when she recognized a smell in the air. She didn't dare to look around, but she recognized that smell. She'd smelt it enough times when making a certain potion that she would recognize it anywhere. But what was it doing here? And why did Moody's breath wreak of it?

Moody narrowed his eyes and said, "Have you chosen to follow your parents' path and example? I assume by what's under your bracelet that you have."

"You've made your own assumptions and conclusions," Riley said, trying to hide her thoughts. "Why ask me?"

Moody's eyes narrowed and he said, "Your decisions may help our cause, which is why I want to know what your intentions are."

"I'm sixteen, an underage witch," Riley said, shrugging. "I cannot practice magic outside of the school, so there's no point in making plans for another year."

Moody chuckled and said in a hoarse voice, "Good idea." He looked Riley in the eye and said, "You sure do have your mother in you, don't you?"

Riley stared Moody right back in the eye and said clearly, her voice unbending, "I am who I am, that's all there is to it."

"I remember your mother," Moody said, his voice no longer bearing a single ounce of good nature, only a neutral coldness. "She had a lot of spirit in her."

"As do I," Riley said. "But I wonder whose memory here is positive."

Moody's eyes widened in alarm and he said spitefully, "Get out of here, _now_."

Riley stood up and walked away, saying in a cold voice, "Gladly." With that, she walked out of the room.

* * *

After Moody was sure that Riley was gone and well on her way to the Gryffindor tower, Moody narrowed his eyes and thought, _Yes, her tongue and blood will be of great interest to the master, as well as her capabilities. Things with this girl will definitely be interesting._

_Still,_ a voice hissed in Moody's ears. _Don't let her get away. Scare her, find her weakness and use it to scare her._

_Yes, master,_ Moody thought, his mind as cold as ice. _As you wish._


	16. Chapter 14: The Yule Ball Catastrophe

Chapter Fourteen: The Yule Ball Catastrophe

* * *

Aria smiled gently at Hermione. "You look beautiful, Hermione," she said sincerely.

"You think?" Hermione asked nervously.

"No doubt," Ginny agreed. She looked over at Riley, who was smiling in agreement while standing with her arms folded. "You're gonna blow every guy in there away."

"They're right," Riley said firmly, her eyes filled with amusement. "You look great."

Ginny grinned. "And Riley, Aria, I don't mind the fact that you're going to the ball with my brothers, though it would have been nice to get some warning."

"Hey, I'm just friends with Fred," Riley said, smiling as she held her hands up in her defense. "It's _George_ who's interested in _Aria_."

Aria blushed hard. "I… well…"

Ginny laughed. "I don't mind," she repeated through her laughter.

Aria couldn't answer, but grew even redder.

"You look great also, Ginny," Riley said with a smile at her English friend.

Ginny smiled. "Thank you, Riley. So do you and Aria."

Riley shrugged. "I look okay, I guess. But could you help me with this?" She walked over to her dresser and picked up a black square box. She opened it and smiled down at it gently. She turned and showed the contents of the box to Ginny.

Ginny gasped. "It's _beautiful!_ Where did you get that?"

Riley smiled. "It was my mom's. It was one of the few things that survived the fire that killed them. Can you help me put it on?"

"Of course," Ginny said. As she helped Riley put the necklace on, she commented. "This necklace makes your eyes look even bluer, and your eyes seem almost animal-like."

Riley smiled and once Ginny was done with the necklace, she set a hand on it, on her neck, looking into a mirror with knowing eyes as she said, "Thanks for the help, and to reply to your comment, they're naturally like that, animal-like. I guess you could say there's another side of me that is always like that."

* * *

Fred looked around nervously, as did George. "What time is it?" he asked his brother anxiously.

"I don't know," George admitted, sounding just as nervous. "Remind me again why we're doing this."

"Because you like Aria and I'm insane to go along with this."

George nodded, the answer clearly satisfying him. "Right."

Fred turned his head when he heard George suddenly burst out in laughter. He began laughing as well when he saw Ron walking over with Harry. Harry was in normal dress robes like the rest of them, but Ron was in ridiculous orange, old-fashioned looking robes.

Ron was ten different shades of red. "Shut up!" he complained, knowing exactly what George was laughing at, and Fred when he joined in.

"I'm sorry," Fred said, half-lying.

"I'm not!" George laughed. "It's funny!"

"'Ermionee," a familiar voice said.

Fred turned his head and saw Krum looking up the stairs, smiling. Fred looked up and stared, shocked, as he saw Hermione standing there at the top of the stairs in a soft pink and blue dress. Her hair was pulled back up and she had make-up on, more than usual. She looked beautiful.

Right after Hermione appeared, so did Ginny. Fred felt strange at seeing his sister in a dress. It was white and beautiful on her, hanging down to her knees. She had her hair pulled back, not completely, but part of it so that the rest was pulled out of her face. She looked beautiful, not like the thirteen-year-old sister that he was used to. She looked so much older as she walked down, making her way down the stairs and to Neville.

Fred was looking down at Neville and Ginny as they walked away, feeling slightly overprotective as he watched the renowned dork lead his sister away, feeling once again that Neville wasn't good enough for her, especially when he knew that Neville wasn't the one that she wanted to be with.

Fred was thinking about his sister and her date when he suddenly heard George gasp. He turned his head to look at his brother, whose eyes were wide and filled with amazement as he looked up the stairs. Fred followed his brother's gaze, only for his own eyes to widen and his breathing to stop. Standing at the top of the stairs were Riley and Aria.

Aria was wearing a brilliant red dress that went beautifully with her darker skin, a strapless dress that gave away nothing, yet looked extremely beautiful. Her black hair was pulled back in a french braid, coming right down her back.

Riley, however, was the one that really caught Fred's attention, his eyes barely making their way over Aria, but long enough to see how beautiful she looked. Even so, it was Riley who caught Fred's attention. She was wearing a soft blue dress that came down to her ankles, a slit down the side from her left thigh down, revealing her bare white leg. It was a halter-top that revealed her extremely pale white arms that would have given the Malfoys a run for their money, and was also somewhat low-cut, not that that was where Fred's attention was at the moment. It wasn't until now that Fred had ever realized just how pale Riley was. She was looking over at Aria, who looked completely nervous, and revealed her long brown hair, which she'd had straightened, but was still hanging down her back, seeming even longer. Riley said something to Aria to try to calm her down, then turned her head back and smiled down at Fred, her blue eyes clear and bright. Fred noticed something hanging around her neck, an incredible necklace made of white gems and a silver chain that complemented her dress well; the stones laid on several thin and elegant silver chains to make up a triangular shape that came down from the base of her neck and outlined her neck extremely well.

"_Oh, my, gosh_," George said, each word said separately and slowly as he stared at the two girls, though Fred knew that he was talking specifically about Aria. His words woke Fred up from his thoughts, only to smile for a minute as he marveled at his brother again.

Riley began to walk down sooner than Aria, making her way toward Fred. The sound of her footsteps drew Fred's attention back to her. As he looked closely at her necklace, he marveled at how it brought out the blue of her eyes, that the dress was perfect for her, and fit her perfectly. He felt himself struggling to breathe normally, as though seeing Riley in a whole new light now. In the few months he'd known her, he never would have imagined that she could have this effect on him, and he understood his brother's infatuation with Aria at last.

Riley looked at Fred with the same old amusement in her eyes that he'd grown to enjoy seeing. "Do I look that ugly, or does the ogling just mean that you're impressed?"

Fred suddenly realized how stupid he must look, and he shook his head before saying, "No, you look _great_, really." He looked over at Aria, who had walked down and was joining George, who looked even more dumbfounded than Fred felt, and he said politely and sincerely, "You do, too, Aria."

Aria smiled over at Fred, her muscles clearly relaxing as she said, "Thanks, Fred. You two look very nice, also."

"Ready to go dance?" George asked, suddenly seeming to find his voice and courage. He held an arm out to Aria, and she smiled in return and took it, following him away.

Fred turned to Riley and did the same, Riley smiling and taking his arm as they walked away. She then leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Just remember, we're not here in the same way that those two are."

Fred chuckled, relaxing as he watched George and Aria walking into the hall, everyone turning and looking at the four as though it was a miracle. He whispered over at Riley, "As long as you remember to mock everyone in the hall tonight."

Riley blinked at him and smiled before saying sincerely, "Deal."

Fred led Riley further down the walkway, blinking in surprise when he saw Malfoy standing in the hallway with Pansy, who was dressed up in a shockingly pink dress; which did nothing for her mediocre looks. She was standing with Crabbe, Goyle and their Slytherin dates, mocking everyone who walked around, but Malfoy's eyes were solely on Fred and Riley; his eyes moving with them as they made their way down the hallway. He was holding a Butterbeer in one hand as he watched, not even paying attention to his friends. Looking at Malfoy, Fred was reminded of his conversation with the Slytherin brat only two weeks ago. Here, in his solid black dress robes, he looked much more handsome, but Fred was positive that he harbored the same feelings toward Fred that he'd expressed that day. Even so, Fred knew that he liked Riley enough not to saying bad at the ball or in front of her, and Fred felt that with Riley's nerves already sky-high, he should follow the same rule. Even so, he had to know something.

"Riley," Fred began.

"I know," Riley said, not even turning her head. "I see him."

"I know you like him as a friend," Fred whispered. "But it's obvious that he likes you as more than that."

"I know that, Fred," Riley said. "Still, if for no other reason, I live in America and he lives here. It would never work."

"I know," Fred agreed. "You told me. But have you told _him?_"

"He knows," Riley said, blinking as they turned a corner toward the main hall. "That's why he's trying so hard to remain calm."

"How do you keep knowing everyone's location and how far they are from you?" Fred asked curiously.

Riley smiled and said, "Intuition."

The ball started with the ritual dance, Harry out on the floor with Angelina, both of whom were laughing at one another's clumsiness, Cedric with Cho Chang, Krum with Hermione, Fleur with Ron, and Riley with Fred. No one was completely comfortable, though Riley kept a constant eye on Ron and Fleur, Riley and Fred both laughing as Ron fought desperately to remember the steps.

After the initial dance, the band came in, Twisted Sisters, and began to play some of the greatest songs ever heard. They danced for hours without stopping, most of the kids not even stopping to eat. Finally, Fred and Riley stumbled out to the chairs and table to grab a Butterbeer each, both laughing so hard that Riley feared that they would burst.

Riley took a long drink of the Butterbeer, feeling overwhelmed from the dancing. She pulled the Butterbeer back and looked over at Fred, smiling gratefully as she said, "Thanks, Fred."

"For what?" Fred asked as he sat up straight and looked over at her.

"For getting me out here tonight," Riley said. "I'm kinda glad I came tonight, oddly enough; and you were right about there not being a catastrophe of any kind, _not_ _yet,_ anyway," she added skeptically.

"Hey, hey, keep a positive attitude," Fred said in a warning tone.

Riley shook her head and said, "Really, I'm glad."

"Since you're in such a good mood," Fred asked as he shifted on his seat. "I've got a question for you."

"Knew there was a catch to me coming tonight," Riley teased.

Fred and Riley both laughed, only for Fred to say, "I'm serious, Riley."

"All right," Riley said after taking another drink. "Name the question. My life is an open book."

"Don't get me wrong, you look amazing tonight," Fred said, making Riley raise an eyebrow in curious expectation. "But why do you always wear that leather bracelet?"

Riley raised an eyebrow and looked down at her right wrist. "Oh," she said, sounding awkwardly surprised. "That. Uh, that's a little more open than I expected."

"Something bad?" Fred asked uncertainly.

"Not really," Riley said awkwardly. "Basically, I have a tattoo right there that I don't show anyone."

"Got drunk one night and made a mistake?" Fred asked, half-guessing and half-teasing.

Riley laughed aloud, throwing her head, and her hair over her right shoulder as she said, "No, no, I wish it was as simple as that. I know it looks funny to have a leather bracelet like this on, but I'm just really not that willing to show everyone what the tattoo looks like yet."

Fred hesitated, and then asked, "Sentimental value? You don't want to share it?"

Riley blinked and looked at Fred as she said quietly, "Something like that. Even Aria hasn't seen it yet."

Fred shrugged and said, "Say no more. I won't ask again." He looked out and laughed as he said, "I still can't believe you and Aria managed to persuade Fleur to come with Ron. They actually look like they're having fun out there."

It was true. Though Ron was spending most of his time gawking at Fleur, the girls of Gryffindor, Aria and Riley had managed to teach him a way to do it without making her feel totally ignored or mindless. They were out on the floor dancing, though it was clear by the way that Ron awkwardly moved that he wasn't used to it. Still, he looked like he was enjoying his time with Fleur.

Riley held up her hands and said, "I can't take any credit for it. Apparently Aria knew Fleur when she was at Beauxbatons, and she loves catching up on her French."

"Aria went to Beauxbatons?" Fred asked in surprise.

Riley nodded. "Yep. She left the orphanage where we grew up when she was offered a chance to go to Beauxbatons, just like I left the orphanage to go to Durmstrang."

"I never would have guessed," Fred said in surprise. "Are you Bulgarian?"

Riley shook her head. "No. Oddly enough, my mother was raised her in England, my father was raised in America, and after my parents died, I went to the same orphanage that my dad was raised at. Durmstrang was the only school to offer me a chance to go to school. I jumped at it, left, and was later offered a chance to go to Hogwarts, but by then I was already enrolled."

"So _that's_ why you're so friendly with Krum," Fred said, as though suddenly understanding a great mystery.

Riley nodded. "I've known Viktor for years. He was three years older than me when I was at Durmstrang, but he sort of took me under his wing, stayed in contact with me after I left and went to Silvergates. I mean, we're not best friends my any means, but seeing him has been really nice, and I hope he does well here."

"So, why did you leave?" Fred asked, confused.

"_I_ didn't _choose_ to leave," Riley said. "_They_ chose for me to leave."

"You were _expelled_?" Fred asked in amazement. "That's hard to believe. Why would they expel you? You're a great witch."

"_Too_ great apparently," Riley said, shrugging. "End of first year, let's just say that there was a big fight and a kid ended up at the brink of death."

"You almost killed someone?" Fred asked quietly, but in surprise.

Riley shrugged. "Let's just say that me, anger and magic don't mix well."

"So I'm learning," Fred said, shaking his head. "You need some help, seriously."

Riley nodded and admitted, "I know, but Silvergates has helped me out a lot, especially with my dance problem. I learned two years ago that if I don't want to cause a catastrophe, I just don't go. Unfortunately, I didn't have a choice this time."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I think your curse has been lifted," Fred said. He shrugged and looked around, smiling as he said, "I mean, look around. Tonight's been a pretty fun night."

Riley smiled and said, "Thanks, and you're right." She looked back out at the dance floor and said, "Ready to head back out?"

Fred laughed and said, "You got the energy to go back out already?"

Riley shrugged and said, "Adrenaline does wonderful things to a person."

Fred nodded and set his drink down before saying, "Let's do it."

The two headed back out and began dancing again with George, Aria, Neville and Ginny, all of whom were having a blast. The music was hard and long throughout most of the night, the dance going on until past one in the morning. By then, everyone was feeling the effects of insomnia, but no one seemed to care. They just kept dancing, determined to go on for as long as they had the strength and for as long as the band would play.

Suddenly, the music changed from a fast and hard beat to a slower, more easy-going beat. Fred looked around in surprise and saw couples begin to pair up and dance together. Fred looked at Riley, who was looking just as awkward as he felt, and he raised an eyebrow. She hesitated, and then shrugged and moved forward, closer than Fred had realized that the dance would call for, closer than he'd ever imagined her being.

Fred did everything in his power not to flinch as Riley set her hands on his shoulders. He looked at her in surprise, struggling to keep his gaze calm. She looked just as nervous, even more so when he set his hands on her waist, not knowing what else to do. They danced for a few moments, both seeming uncertain about the situation until they both realized that nothing was going to jump out at them, that they were safe and would remain so. Fred felt his muscles relax, and then everything changed.  
In that moment, the entire mood changed.

All of a sudden, Fred wasn't thinking about how far away Riley as, or how close she was. His muscles weren't hunched or tightened nervously, but just there, around her. She wasn't standing rigid and awkwardly near him, but moving with him. Then, he felt her lean her head over and rest it against his shoulder, and at that moment, all of the strange feelings that Fred had been feeling that night boiled up into one moment of utter happiness. He couldn't explain it, the comfort of having her there. He'd never known it before, never experienced it. What was this, this feeling that he had when he saw Riley?

After a few moments, the song changed, but it was once again a slow song. Fred looked down at Riley as she pulled her head back, the two looking one another in the eyes, not saying a word as the music stopped, even if only for a moment.

"May I have this dance?" a voice asked politely, surprising Fred.

Fred turned his head to the side and blinked in surprise when he saw Malfoy standing there, dressed nicely in his tailored black dress robes, like every other Hogwarts and Silvergates man in the hall. He was smiling pleasantly at both Fred and Riley, and Fred could hardly believe that this was the same guy who had threatened him two weeks ago.

Fred looked back at Riley as she began to pull her hands back, smiling awkwardly at Fred as she said, "I'd be happy to."

Malfoy took Riley by the hand as Fred pulled his own back, nodding in understanding. He knew that Riley had promised Malfoy a dance, since he'd made it to asking her first. He'd known that she was going to dance with him, yet it suddenly felt strange not having her in his arms and seeing her in someone else's, especially Malfoy's.

Fred began to walk out of the main hall and over to the benches, chairs and tables of food. He grabbed a Butterbeer from the ice bucket and popped the top before taking a long drink, unable to think anymore. He turned around and watched as Riley and Malfoy danced, the two of them laughing as though they'd been friends forever and Fred had never been there, even if it had only been a minute since he'd been dancing with Riley.

Fred felt somewhat sick as he watched Riley and Malfoy together. The two seemed to get along so well, laughing as the other spoke, dancing and talking comfortably. It hadn't been that way with Fred, but then he remembered that moment, the moment that the mood of the dance had changed for them, and he knew that it hadn't been what Riley and Malfoy were doing now. They looked like more than friends right now, but he knew that she'd felt what he had in the moment they'd danced together, and that allowed him to stomach watching them dance together.

Fred was taking a long drink from his Butterbeer when Fred walked over and grabbed one from the chest, popping the top as he said brightly, "You know, I don't think that this day could have gone any better if I'd planned it myself. I thought that this ball would be really boring, but it's actually turned out all right."

"Yep," was all Fred said, still staring out on the dance floor.

George looked around and asked in surprise, "Where's Riley?"

"Dancing with Malfoy," Fred said, and as George began to open his mouth, his eyes filled with confusion, Fred said warningly, "Don't say it, George. Don't bother."

"I thought that she was here with _you_," George pointed out, ignoring his brother's warning.

"She is."

"Then why…" George began in confusion.

"She promised him a dance," Fred explained. "Malfoy asked her here tonight, but it was after I had asked her, so she promised him that she'd dance with him for a little while."

George frowned as he stared out at Malfoy and Riley. "Doesn't look like that's all there is to it," he observed.

Fred shrugged. "We're just friends, George. It's up to Riley who she dates."

"Yeah, right," George chuckled sarcastically, looking at his brother. "You're as much friends as Aria and I are."

Fred didn't say anything in response, just continued to watch Riley and Malfoy dance. They continued to laugh at one another, Malfoy smiling as he talked and as he laughed. Watching them, Fred couldn't help but notice that Malfoy looked genuinely amused and happy, not laced with malice and contempt like he normally seemed. Maybe he really did like Riley, though the thought didn't appeal to Fred anymore than the idea that he was using her.

Watching them, Fred focused on Riley, which wasn't heard to do. She flipped her head back, knocking her hair over her shoulder as she danced, smiling at Malfoy as he talked. She looked beautiful tonight, even more than normal. Riley turned her head and smiled as her eyes locked with Fred, her blue-grey eyes sparkling.

Fred smiled slightly, but on the inside he was a total wreck. Riley had been right about the ball. This dance had been a bad omen, a catastrophe, even if only to him. It had opened his eyes to something, a truth, and a realization that was as terrible as it was wonderful and exhilarating. Suddenly, he understood what drove George, why he acted the way he did. He understood.

Fred turned to George and said, "I'm going to go take a little walk. If Riley asks, I'll be right back."

"Okay, though I doubt she's going anywhere," George muttered under his breath as his brother walked away.

Fred walked down the hallway, his hands in his pockets as he thought about George and Aria, and Riley and Malfoy. George and Aria liked each other, that much was true and obvious. Watching Malfoy with Riley, it was like seeing him in the way that Riley believed him to be, completely natural and confident, not arrogant and annoying. He couldn't hardly believe that it was the same person.

Fred continued walking until he heard a voice from down the hallway and around the next corner. When he recognized it as a fourth-year girl named Sierra, a Slytherin girl, he stopped and intentionally eavesdropped.

"I can't believe that you just let him come here with the Silvergates girl."

"You came with a Silvergates guy," Fred recognized Pansy Parkinson's voice.

"Yeah, but _I'm_ not dating Draco Malfoy," Sierra pointed out.

"Draco and I aren't dating," Pansy pointed out.

"_Yet_," Sierra emphasized. "You've been _all but_ together since our first year, and now the only thing standing in the way is that _girl_."

Fred knew that they were talking about Riley, and he felt awkward at knowing that someone other than he had the same suspicions about Riley and Malfoy.

"He's only being nice to her because she's the Silvergates Champion and she's a Pureblood," Pansy pointed out, sounding rather confident in her opinion.

"Well, if you don't watch out, he might just end up changing his mind about you and go after _her_," Sierra said snidely.

"He wouldn't do that," Pansy said, though she didn't sound like she believed her own words. "But I _will_ be grateful when she leaves at the end of the year and goes back to America."

"Did you know that Draco asked her to the dance and she turned him down?" Sierra asked in disbelief. "Just so she could come with that Fred Weasley character."

"That's just because she's too nice to say no to someone beneath her, even if it's for someone as great as Draco," Pansy said, and Fred could practically hear the shrug in her shoulders. "Just another reason why Draco won't leave me for her."

"Still, you need to keep an eye on him," Sierra said in a warning tone. "They're dancing together right now, and the way that he acts around her is totally different than the way he acts around us, even you."

"He's just playing nice," Pansy said. "Don't worry. By the end of the year, Riley O'Malley will just be a thing of the past, a fling that he'll have gotten over with."

"I hope so," Sierra said aloud, voicing Fred's thought before she added, "For _your_ sake."

* * *

Late that night, or early in the morning, Riley was putting her shoes and dress away in her trunk as Hermione, Aria and Ginny stumbled into the girl's dormitory. She smiled as she watched them laugh, too exhausted to join them. Riley had come up an hour ago and undressed and showered before slipping into a comfortable red and black football jersey that she'd picked up in America, along with some sweatpants that made for comfortable sleepwear.

Ginny looked over and smiled at Riley, asking, "Hey, Riley, why'd you leave so early?"

"'Early'?" Riley asked in amusement and astonishment. "It's three o'clock in the morning, and I left an hour ago. That's not early."

Hermione shrugged and said, "I'm going to go change and shower before I go to bed."

"I'll join you," Angelina said.

"Me, too," Aria said as she and Angelina followed Hermione to the bathroom and showers.

Once the others were gone, Ginny walked over and set a hand on the rail of the bed that led up to the ceiling. "So," she said awkwardly. "I saw you and Malfoy, and Fred."

"Yeah," Riley muttered as she closed the trunk. "Wasn't exactly trying to hide."

"I know that you said that you weren't going to get romantically involved with either my brother or Malfoy..."

"Ginny," Riley said as she stood up straight, her tone exhausted.

Ginny continued to say, "But I saw the way that you were with them tonight. Now, I don't know how you're feeling about _them_, but you were right a few weeks ago. You're going to be leaving at the end of the year, and as much as I hate the idea, we won't be seeing you or Aria again after that. Difference between you and Aria is that you have to leave behind _two_ guys, not one."

"Ginny, really," Riley began, looking back at Ginny. She shrugged and said in an exhausted voice, "This is no news to me, and nothing's changed. We're still just friends, all of us. And the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt your brother."

"I know that," Ginny admitted. "I believe you, but I also know that he's falling for you, and Fred has never done that before. This is new to him, and I'm guessing that it's new to you, too." Riley blinked, but said nothing as Ginny went on to say, "Just be careful, all right?"

Riley said nothing, but walked over and folded the blankets of the bed back before climbing in and under them, pulling them up to her chin. Ginny watched and hesitated before walking over to her bed and doing the same. As Ginny and Riley turned their lights out, Riley couldn't help but think to herself that Ginny had been right. Something was going on with her and the boys. She'd enjoyed dancing with Draco immensely, but that one dance with Fred, that one moment... There had been nothing like it before. It had changed the way that Riley saw Fred, the way she looked at him. Still, it didn't change anything. It couldn't.

No one had died or been impaled tonight, but it really had been a catastrophe, but Riley was sure that she wouldn't have given it up for anything.


	17. Chapter 15: Not Awkward At All

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Not Awkward At All

* * *

The next few weeks were an uproar, as couples began to meet one another after the Ball, and Rita Skeeter's piece about Hagrid came out in the paper. Harry and his friends found themselves returning to their work and classes, but nothing seemed more appalling to him, or the others, as Rita's rubbish.

One morning, while everyone was arguing about the controversial article over Hagrid, Riley, Aria, Ron, Harry and Hermione were walking down the hallway, listening to the comments made along the way about Rita Skeeter and her words of wisdom, almost everyone holding onto a copy of either the _Daily Prophet _or _Witch Weekly._

"Why is it that everyone holds so much faith in what that woman has to say?" Riley asked in disbelief. "Though why the Daily Prophet even bothers to publish that garbage, I'll never know."

"I guess people are more interested in scandal than logical," Harry suggested.

"Oh, my gosh," Lavender laughed from where she was standing with Parvati, laughing at the newspaper she was holding in her hands. "I can't believe she actually-"

"Riley," Parvati said, looking up at Riley and catching her attention.

"Yeah?" Riley asked, stopping and looking over at the Gryffindor girls.

"Did you-" Parvarti began, and Lavender threw her head back laughing.

"What?" Riley asked, confused.

Parvati blushed and then asked, "Did you really agree to date Draco Malfoy?"

"_What?_" Riley exclaimed at the same time as Aria, Ron, Hermione and Harry.

Lavender held out the paper, still laughing, and Riley snatched it from her. She turned it over and looked at the front page, seeing a picture of her and Draco on the front, dancing at the Yule Ball.

"When did she get that picture?" Riley asked in disbelief.

"I'm looking more at the article," Ron said, reading closely. "_Look_."

Riley began the read the words, and as she did, she couldn't help but feel outraged.

* * *

**Riley O'Malley, Champion Or Cheater?**

The lovely and highly alluring Rita Skeeter reports from behind the lines as she observes the Champions at the Yule Ball. While being escorted by a young man from the Gryffindor House, the Silvergates Champion quickly made her way on to the rich and highly talented young heir, Draco Malfoy, who was seen dancing with the Champion for a good deal of the night, leaving Miss O'Malley's escort alone in the shadows, nearly in tears. Slipping away into the darkness for a moonlit stroll, these two seem to have found themselves a chance to slip away from the Tournament and all senses of morals and conduct in order to be together, what a wonderful scandal!

Riley's jaw dropped when she saw a picture of a man with long, sleek blonde hair in a black fur hat, jacket and with a rather formal (and in her opinion, stuck-up) look on his face as he faced the flashing cameras. She could only imagine one person who that could be, considering those piercing blue eyes that she recognized as she went on.

Lucius Malfoy, father of young and handsome Draco Malfoy, says only that, "I'm unaware of any romantic relationships that my son has at this time." Does this mean that Miss O'Malley and Mr. Malfoy are keeping their affair to themselves? If so, why be so public about it at the Yule Ball? What is in store for this long-distance relationship?

* * *

"_Oh, my, gosh,_" Riley said each word separately and deliberately, her jaw dropped as she looked at the picture in front of her.

"They got a picture of Malfoy's dad in there?" Harry asked in disbelief, almost laughing as he took the newspaper from Riley, reading it more closely. As he took it from her hands, Riley continued to stare forward with her hands held up in the same position and her mouth dropped in disbelief.

Riley felt her ears burn and rage build inside of her as she exclaimed, "That conniving bi-"

"Riley," Aria said, cutting Riley off.

"I wasn't even there _with_ Draco," Riley said in disbelief. "I was there with Fred, and yet she has the gall to say... Oh, if I see that hag again, I'm going to set a lot more on fire than that damn quill of hers."

"She's practically married you off to Malfoy without you having ever met his dad," Ron laughed, joining Lavender. "Think she's got a license to do that?"

"_Ron_!" Hermione scolded Ron.

"Well?" Ron exclaimed. "Come on, you have to admit that there is _some_ humor in this."

"As much as Hermione's article with Harry?" Aria retorted, and Ron shut up, suddenly looking serious.

"No, it _is_ funny," Lavender laughed, leaning back against the wall.

"I have the _Lord of Governors_ thinking that I want to _marry_ his _son_," Riley said, looking at Lavender in disbelief. "What part of this is funny?" She almost sounded desperate.

"It's _Malfoy_!" Lavender laughed, holding onto her stomach.

Riley groaned and walked off, clutching her head with her hands.

As Riley left, Ron held the paper out to Hermione and Aria, raising an eyebrow as he smiled. "You can't tell me that this isn't somewhat funny."

"I can," a voice said, and everyone turned to see Ginny walking over. She snatched the paper out of Ron's hands, glaring at her brother and said, "This woman is messing with people's lives, and possibly friendships. Do you have any idea what this could do to Riley and Fred's relationship?"

"What relationship?" Ron asked in disbelief. "It's not like she's staying here and going to marry either of them."

"It doesn't matter," Ginny said, shaking her head. "They're still friends. If this had gone wrong, it could have ruined Riley and George, not to mention screwed things up with Malfoy and his dad."

"I don't care about the Malfoys," Ron sneered. "Anything bad that happens to them is my day in paradise. Anyway, nothing's going to go wrong. Besides how do you propose to stop Rita? She's really famous and everyone likes her work."

"No one likes her work, but everyone reads it, anyway," Ginny said through eyes filled with anger. "That's the problem."

"And you plan on stopping her, how?" Ron asked, pushing the question.

"I don't know," Ginny admitted, shoving the newspaper back into her brother's hands. "But _someone_ needs to." With that, she turned around and stormed off.

Riley walked down the hallway, moaning out loud to herself as she thought of a hundred things that she wanted to say to Rita Skeeter, and a hundred thousand curses that she'd like to place upon the woman. Not only had Rita totally left Fred out of the picture and made it look like Riley was a money-grubbing whore, but she'd done it in front of the_ entire wizarding world!_

"Riley?"

Riley looked up and jumped in surprise when she almost crashed into Fred and George. Fred raised an eyebrow in surprise as he looked down at her and asked, "Are you all right?" He didn't sound at all angry or awkward.

Riley looked at the newspaper in Fred's hand, and then back at him and asked, "Did you read it?"

"The article about you and Malfoy?" Fred asked curiously, holding the paper up. "Yeah, like always."

"It was funny," George laughed. "Especially that part about Lu-"

"George," Fred said as Riley began to turn a dark shade of red. "Can I talk to Riley alone?"

George looked like he wanted to continue, but clearly got the message, and nodded, saying in Riley's ear as he left, "Don't' break his heart too badly."

"_Oh, shut up!_" Riley said, hitting George in the arm as he laughed and ran off. She hesitated, and then looked back at George, who was just standing there, his arms crossed as he looked at her.

"I am so sorry, Fred," Riley said, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

"Why?" Fred asked amusement in his eyes as he raised an eyebrow. "Because you '_left me alone in the shadows, all by myself, almost in tears_'?" Riley looked at him in disbelief, almost ready to cry, and Fred laughed to say, "It's all right, Riley, I know it wasn't true. I wasn't most of the night together, and you were only with Malfoy for like, the last two or three dances. I don't know where Rita got her information, but it was totally bogus, as usually."

"But that thing about Lucius Malfoy..." Riley said, lowering her head and shaking it in disbelief. "If I ever get my hands on Rita Skeeter..."

Fred laughed and held onto Riley by the arms, holding her in place. "Don't worry," he laughed. "I'm sure that once Malfoy talks to his dad, everything will be smoothed over."

"You find this way too funny, you know that?" Riley asked in a dark voice, glaring up at Fred in somewhat mock dislike.

Fred smiled and said, "If it were about anyone else, so would you."

"Good point," Riley admitted. She stood up and shook her head, holding onto it with her hands. "Oh, crabs... This is a nightmare."

"Not really," Fred said, shrugging. "I mean, there were moments about that night that I loved, but were a little awkward for me." Riley looked up at him in alarm, and Fred smiled as he looked at Riley and said, "This just makes it all seem funny now."

Riley suddenly sensed another presence and her muscles tensed up. She saw Fred's gaze harden as he looked behind Riley, and she closed her eyes, knowing that her senses were correct. Riley groaned as she turned around, opening her eyes when she saw Draco standing further down the hallway, his hands in his pant pockets as he waited patiently; shifting back and forth on his feet in silence.

Riley turned around and said to Fred, "I'll see you in a little while."

"Right," Fred said, and then leaned over to whisper, "Go easy on your boyfriend."

"_Shut up,_" Riley hissed as Fred laughed and walked off.

Once Fred was gone, Draco walked toward Riley, and she walked toward him, the two of them meeting in between where they'd been standing before.

"So," Draco said awkwardly. "You read the paper, I assume?"

Riley rolled her eyes and said in exhaustion, "Who hasn't?"

"Unfortunately," Draco said, shifting back and forth on his feet, "I can't think of anyone." He shrugged and said, "I was coming out of the boy's dormitory this morning when I was cornered by four boys and three girls, as well as Snape, all asking me if there was any truth in it."

"'A moonlit stroll'?" Riley repeated in disbelief. "You were showing me the shortcut back to the Gryffindor tower!" Riley and Draco both laughed, and Riley asked awkwardly, "How's your father taking all of this in?"

"Uh, _interesting_," Draco admitted with a surprised and uncomfortable expression and tone. "He's _convinced_ everyone he knows, especially in the Ministry, that we're not dating, but I'm not sure that he believes it himself."

"Really?" Riley asked in surprise and with interest as she folded her arms. "He doubts you?"

"Well," Draco said awkwardly, "He's already sent me a message by owl saying that if he finds another article like that in the paper, that he will have me withdrawn from Hogwarts and placed in a better school, have Rita Skeeter fired, and will personally come to meet you."

Riley's eyes widened in alarm and she almost squeaked, "_Me_?"

Draco smiled and said, "You _are_ kind of the attraction to this whole scandal."

Riley rolled her eyes and said, "It's all because I told Rita off at the beginning of the Tournament, and refused to give her an article to write about."

"Well, she found one," Draco said halfheartedly.

Riley hesitated, and then said, "We okay?"

Draco nodded, and said with a smile, "Of course, we are. If you think something like this is going to make me walk away from something as great as you, you're crazy."

"Good, I think," Riley said awkwardly, and then asked, "You wanna go work on your Charms exam, fix your mistakes?"

"Works for me," Draco said, shrugging. "Sure you're ready for the comments?"

Riley rolled her eyes and said, "Not like it's the first time in my life I've ever been made the subject of gossip."

Still, even though the boys said that they were okay with the situation, Riley could definitely feel a difference in the tension that rose around the three of them, and Riley suddenly wished she had a pot of boiling fodder and Rita's face.

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A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	18. Chapter 16: Cracked Egg

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Sixteen: Cracked Egg

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"_I am so sick of this!_" Riley yelled, hitting her fists against the library table, only to run her fingers through her hair. "I have been working on this for the past week, and I can't figure out how to listen to that egg without breaking an eardrum!"

"Have you ever thought of asking the other Champions?" Ginny asked, looking over at Riley from where she was attempting to work on her Potions homework. She had one elbow set on the table with her head rested against her wrist.

"If I thought that they had a clue, I would have by now," Riley groaned. "Besides, while Cedric is nice to me and seems to be interested in a friendship, I doubt he'd given me any information; Fleur is still furious about my presence as a Champion, so I _know_ she wouldn't give me any information. The only one who might actually help me out is Viktor, but I'm not going to abuse my friendship with him to figure something like this out."

"But you _don't_ know," Ginny pointed out. "Not until you ask."

"I _have_ asked," Riley pointed out. "I asked Viktor the day before yesterday, and he said that he hadn't figured it out, either. He said that when he asked Fleur, she was offended by him asking her for help, but he was positive that it was because she hadn't figured it out, either. And Harry…" She chuckled and nodded to the side as she said, "Well, you know Harry."

Ginny didn't even have to argue that one. Harry was notorious for waiting until the last moment to do everything, including his homework and his Task homework. It didn't matter what it was, he put it off until he absolutely had to. Chances were, he still didn't know.

"What about Cedric?" Ginny suddenly thought.

"I already told you that I'm not going to ask someone that I barely know, even if it seems like we're going to become friends. That's not a good way to start of a friendship."

"True," Ginny admitted. Riley had spent most of her time with the Gryffindors, not the Hufflepuffs, and even if she had, Ginny didn't know Cedric well enough to know if he would give her any help.

"Come on," Ginny said, suddenly thinking of something. She closed her textbook and pushed it into her backpack. "Let's go get something to eat. Maybe while we're walking, we'll think of something."

"Something that the past twenty-one meals _haven't_ inspired in me?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief at Ginny. Ginny rolled her neck to look at Riley with the would-you-just-humor-me look on her face. Riley rolled her own eyes and stood up, shoving her books and her egg into her bag. "All right, I'll go along with this for now."

The two girls headed out of the library and down the stone pathway that led toward the Great Hall. Riley set her hands in her pockets and craned her neck in each direction, feeling the muscles relax as she did.

"Hmm?" Riley said when she thought she saw something sparkly down to her right. She blinked in surprise when she saw something in a puddle of water. She took a step forward to pull it out, but realized that she would have to step into the water to get it out. Riley pulled her backpack off and set it down on the ground, pulling her black robe off and setting it down as well before stepping into the pond. She reached down and picked up a golden ring from within the pond. She picked it up and turned it over in her hand. It was a shiny silver ring with marks etched into the outside and inside, words that Riley couldn't quite make out, but she was sure they were Latin.

"What're you doing?" Ginny asked as she stopped and looked back.

"I found this in the water," Riley said, turning the ring over in her hand. "Don't know what it is, but it seems valuable. Must belong to someone around here."

"Well, get out and get up here," Ginny said, frowning seriously. "You're going to be soaked all day, thanks to your wise move there."

"No problem, I'll just– _Ahh!_" Riley exclaimed as she was suddenly thrown back into the water. Riley felt herself being dragged down into the pond, as though someone had grabbed her by her backpack and yanked her down. Riley looked around underneath the water, and was surprised to find that she was in a water that looked black, yet was visible underneath. Riley blinked in surprise when she saw that the egg had floated out of her backpack, which was submerged underwater.

Riley was about to leap out toward the egg when she saw its hinges begin to glow, to pry apart on their own. She watched in surprise as she heard beautiful voices come from it, not like the horrible screeches she'd heard earlier.

"_Come seek us where our voices sound,_

_We cannot sing above the ground,_

_And while you're searching ponder this:_

_We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

_An hour long you have to look,_

_And to recover what we took,_

_But past an hour – the prospect's black,_

_Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."_

Just as the words were finished, Riley caught up in awe and dismay, she felt something clasp over her mouth and yank her away from the egg. She began flailing around, trying to grab whatever it was that had gotten a hold on her. She felt as though she'd been tied to a motor boat, being yanked in every direction as the thing holding onto her moved.

Riley tried to scream, but found that whatever it was over her mouth was holding her down. Riley then realized with terror that she couldn't breathe. She began flailing in every direction, desperate for air, and found herself slowly slipping into a bank of black. As her eyes began to roll back, Riley heard a voice, a faint one, but there.

"Riley... Riley... Riley!"

Riley's eyes shot wide open in alarm, and she suddenly sat upright, gasping loudly for air. She looked around, panicking and gasping for air as she reached out for something solid, her hands landing on Ginny's legs, which had been knelt down.

Ginny grabbed onto her by her shoulders and exclaimed, "Riley, what is going?"

"What..." Riley panted, looking around. "What _was_ that?" she asked as she looked around in confusion, her eyes landing on Ginny. "What happened?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Ginny said, sounding skeptical.

"I fell into something," Riley said, looking around. "Black..." She blinked in surprise when she saw nothing. "Black water. It, it _attacked_ me."

"What did?" Ginny asked, confused.

"I don't know," Riley admitted. "That's when I..." She looked at Ginny and asked, "Didn't you _see_ it?"

Ginny frowned and said, "I saw you slip into a pool of dark water, but when I got to you, it was all disappearing, like it was draining _into_ you. I'd never seen anything like it before."

Riley touched her chest, arms and legs, all of the places that had felt like shed been attacked a moment before. Then a thought occurred to her, and she exclaimed, "The egg! Where's my-" She stopped screaming when she saw Ginny holding up the closed egg.

"I found it right before I woke you up," Ginny explained as she stared at the egg, her face twisted in dislike. "It was making that terrible screeching sound again. I couldn't leave it open."

Riley took a hold of the egg in her hands, running her fingers over its smooth surface. "I heard it," she said aloud in awe.

"Heard what?" Ginny asked, confused.

"The clue," Riley said, looking at the egg. "When it's under water, it doesn't screech. It's beautiful in fact, almost mesmerizing."

"Like mermaids?" Ginny asked in surprise.

"What?" Riley asked, looking at Ginny in confusion.

Ginny shrugged and said, "Merpeople can't sing above ground. I've read that they sound like dying eagles with a cold if they try to talk above water."

"Ginny, you're a genius!" Riley exclaimed in delight.

"I'm a what?" Ginny asked, looking thoroughly confused.

"That's it!" Riley exclaimed. "Ginny, it's merpeople! _M__erpeople_ are what we'll be facing in the water!"

"In February?" was all Ginny could manage to say. "Better plan on wearing a polar bear as a comforter."

That night, Riley was sitting in her bed, looking down at the silver ring that she'd picked up out of the black water, turning it over in her hand. She felt that somehow she recognized it, but she knew that was impossible. She didn't have any jewelry other than her blue necklace, and neither did any of her friends, except for maybe her Hogwarts friends. Still, something about the ring seemed to haunt Riley, even as she put it on her nightstand and pulled her blankets up over her shoulders and fell to sleep.

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A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	19. Chapter 17: Dreams

N/A: I am so happy! I've had 1,200 hits in the past six days since I first published this story! ^^ Or, I guess I should say _re_-published. Thank you, all of my readers. I hope you've enjoyed this story so far, and although I'm not done yet, I do realize that I've been kicking out chapters pretty fast. It's just because I have the chapters done and ready to kick out, I have the books in hand so that I can write, and I'm looking forward to putting out the next book, the pride of the three that I've put out, though I have to say I'm also proud of my number six version. Yes, the names of all four that I put out are going to be a little screwed up compared to the real books, but they have to do with the books, and all stories on fanfiction (well, most anyways) have different names. Yes, Riley seems to be the main character, but that's because Harry's story is already told. What changes in these stories is the way that Riley, Aria and Silvergates affect what's been pre-determined by the already existing story. Call it a parallel universe, like the episode of OC where Ryan and Taylor suddenly don't exist, and it turns out that Taylor does exist in that world, she's just a boy. ::shakes head and tail:: never mind, please ignore my ranting. Anyway, I hope you enjoy, though this chapter may seem a little intense, probably not. I may send out the next chapter as something of a cliffhanger for the night to annoy anyone who has the chance to read it, just because I'm mean in that way. lol. Have fun, and PLEEEEAAAASE Review!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Seventeen: Dreams

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Riley tossed and turned in her sleep that night, unable to hold still as her dreams grew more and more violent. It was the same dream that she'd been having for the last four nights, ever since she'd fallen into that puddle of black water. Each night was worse, the dreams becoming more vivid and more intense, involving her more and making her _feel_ what everyone else was feeling. But now, she could barely contain it. She couldn't bare breathe through it, turning from side to side and moaning in fear.

Fire burned brightly all around her. She looked around in confusion, her hands out to the side as she reached for something to grab. She heard a baby crying loudly, almost scared. She turned around to see who was crying, but couldn't find anyone. She suddenly heard a man yell out, "Helen, we need to get her out of here!"

_Helen?_ Riley thought with hope and surprise, turning her head. Her eyes widened when she saw a man with dark brown hair, similar to her own, run into the room and look around nervously. A woman with hair almost identical to Riley's stood over a crib, looking back at the man and saying firmly, "No, not without her."

Is that... Riley wondered drawing closer. Before she could see who was in the crib, Riley heard a low voice say in a hissing sound, "_We're here... Come to me..._"

"He's here," the man said, his eyes narrowed in alarm.

"Stephen," Helen said, reaching for her husband's hand as she reached back for her wand, which was in her back pocket.

Riley's eyes widened in alarm when she saw two people in black cloaks make their way through the flames, floating above the ground. One had a wand pointed outward, a skull-like carving around the end of it. It looked like one big pointed bone, pointed straight at Helen.

"_This is your last chance to surrender,_" the man said, and Riley realized that he was speaking in Parstletongue.

"_Never,_" Helen spat back, standing up straight. She drew her wand and before she could do anything, the second person raised their wand and yelled, "_Avada Kadavra!_"

The green spell hit Riley's mother and sent her flying up against the wall, into the black and orange flames.

"Helen!" Stephen yelled in shock and terror.

"Join us," the second person, a woman, said in a sneer. "Or die with your wife and child in the eternal flames of fiendfyre."

Stephen spun around to face the two people, drawing out his wand and saying aloud, "Die, Bellatrix." There were three bright flashes of light, and the woman let out a shrill scream at the same time that Stephen was sent flying back through the wall. The fire had eaten away through most of it. The man in black reached up with pale, skinny looking fingers and drew back his hood, revealing an ugly snake-like face without a normal nose, but slits like a snake. He smiled and said, "You did well, Bellatrix."

"Thank you, Master," the woman said, huddling over in pain and gasping in pain. "He hurt... my lungs and ribs... they're collapsing, Master..."

"Don't worry about those," Voldemort said, turning and giving a dainty wave of his wand. A green flash of light flashed from the tip of the wand and around the woman. She let out an easy sigh and stood up straight, turning to the hideous man. "Better?" Voldemort asked in a silky tone.

"Much," Bellatrix said, smiling sickly. "Now, Master, you may move forward and attain your true power. Those pests are no more, the last of the resistance gone."

"Yes, Bella," Voldemort said, looking forward. "At last, this planet will be mine." With that, he gave a wave of his wand, and the flames begin rising, higher and meaner, engulfing the entire place.

Riley could feel the heat of the flames against her skin, and no matter where she moved to, the heat seemed to rise even more until Riley feared that it would burn her skin completely off. She closed her eyes, gripping at her stomach as she screamed in pain, and she suddenly heard a voice whisper in her ear, _So __**that's**_ _what makes you hurt._

Riley spun around and her eyes widened in alarm when she saw the face of Voldemort suddenly rush at her through the flames, running right through her body and knocking her over, knocking her into the flames. Riley felt as though she had suddenly been pinned to the ground, feeling the flames completely surround her and topple her. Riley closed her eyes, screaming from the pain as she writhed on the floor, trying to resist. Still, she could feel it peel away at her skin, at her bones, voices whispering in her ear and mocking her, laughing at her, calling her stupid and worthless.

Riley suddenly shot up in bed, her eyes wide with fear and her arms shaking. She looked down at her shaking hands and rubbed them together, only to feel that they were soaked in sweat. Her breathing was unsteady, and Riley felt as though her entire body could fall over at any moment. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her blanket around herself in an attempt to keep herself warm. Something, something was haunting her, torturing her. Why? Why? She couldn't answer the question, only curled up into a ball on her bed and closed her eyes as tightly as she could, sweating her fears out and trying her hardest not to cry them out. Still, she knew that she had to do something, but she couldn't only think of one person who she could go to for help.

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A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	20. Chapter 18: What Does This Mean?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Eighteen: What Does This Mean?

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Riley walked down the hallway toward Professor Dumbledore's office. She knew where it was, but she'd never been there. She'd seen enough paintings of it, and been in it for meetings with the Champions, but now, she could only hope that Dumbledore was still there.

Riley walked down the hallway in her black and read jersey and black sweatpants, her arms folded as she moved. She had her wand placed between her pants and jersey, and her back. Something about these dreams was getting more intense, scarier, and she needed to know what it was. Dumbledore was the only person she could think of who might be able to explain what was going on.

Soon, Riley reached the door and she slowly began to open it. She hesitated before walking into the main room, and saw the great Griffin statue, which Riley knew lead up to Dumbledore's actual office. She walked up to it and said shakily, "Sh-sherbert lemon."

A moment later, the statue began to move, rotating. As it did, stairs began to emerge from the ground. Riley stepped onto the steps and waited as they rose, holding on tightly to herself. She didn't feel cold, like her stance might have suggested, but instead she felt nervous, and shaking from the effects of her dreams. As the steps came to a stop, Riley saw someone standing at the far side of the room, Dumbledore with his back to her and fiddling with some things on his desk.

"Professor?" Riley asked nervously.

"Yes, Riley," Dumbledore said calmly, not sounding surprised.

Riley hesitated, and then said, "You knew I was coming?"

"I sensed that you were near," Dumbledore said, still fiddling with something that Riley couldn't see, though she had an overwhelming sense of chocolate run through her mouth. He continued to say, "I sensed great fear in the castle earlier, and when I felt the staircase open, I recognized your power." He turned around, a plate of chocolate in his hand with all sorts of leaping creatures on it. "Would you like some?" he asked, quite harmlessly.

Riley shook her head as she drew closer, a disgusted look on her face. "I've grown up with a lot of habits and acceptances of the wizarding world, but eating something that looks and acts alive _is not_ one of them." She looked up at Dumbledore with her disgusted gaze.

Dumbledore let out a laugh and nodded as he said, "Quite right, quite right. Amazing how we use magic for anything and everything in this world, isn't it, even things as simple as chocolates and candy beans."

"Yeah," Riley said, her face twisting even more. "I stopped eating those about four years ago when I got one that tasted like poop."

"Well, I'm sure-" Dumbledore began, looking somewhat surprised.

"No," Riley said, shaking her head. "I mean the flavor was _literally_ poop."

"Oh," Dumbledore said in surprise. "Well, they mean _every_ flavor." He laughed and Riley smiled somewhat, and then he asked, "How can I help you, Riley?"

"I, I have this problem," Riley said awkwardly.

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked with surprise and interest. He indicated with his hand toward a couch near the fireplace.

Riley nodded as she walked over and sat down on the comfortable couch. She held her folded arms against her stomach and said, "Yes, I've had these dreams, bad ones."

"So _that's_ what's frightened you so much," Dumbledore said in understanding.

Riley frowned through narrowed eyes. "I didn't used to feel this way. In fact, I never even thought about it until..." Her voice trailed off.

"Until?" Dumbledore urged.

"Until the tournament," Riley admitted. "Until I fell into some black water pond a few days ago with my egg. I heard the song that my egg sang, and then it was like I was being yanked everywhere at once. I could have sworn that I was being attacked, being stabbed, but when Ginny pulled me out, I was fine. I thought my entire body had been burning on fire, that I'd never been that afraid before in my life, but the moment Ginny pulled me out, it was all gone."

"Well, it sounds to me like you've been thrown into Black Penetro," Dumbledore said as he walked over in front of Riley, sitting down in a chair across from her.

"What's that?" Riley asked, confused. "I've never heard of it."

"Well, I'd be surprised if you had," Dumbledore admitted. "Even for someone that spends as much time researching as you do. Tell me, when you fell into this water, did it disappear around you, seeming to absorb right into you?"

"Yes," Riley said, sounding surprised. "That's _exactly_ how Ginny described it."

Dumbledore nodded, as if having expected to hear this. "Black Penetro was used a long time ago by Dark witches and wizards, drawing a person into their worst fear and worst nightmare. It's meant to haunt them, to keep after them for as long as it can hold onto them. The use of it was outlawed even before Voldemort – if you'll pardon me using his name – came to power."

Riley shook her head and said, "I don't mind, Professor. I believe that allowing Voldemort to have enough power to cause fear, the kind that gives him a status – even if only out of terror – gives him more credit and power than he deserves. I'll call him by his name, not fearing to say it."

Dumbledore nodded in approval. "I'm glad to hear you think so. The water disappears because it then inhabits the person it infects until it's run its course. How long that may be, I have no idea, seeing as I've never used, nor been victim to it. It only works on one person per dose, and the fact that someone on this campus had access to it greatly disturbs me." He frowned when he saw Riley's eyes darken as she looked away, and he asked, "Is there more?" When Riley looked at him in surprise, as though she hadn't known he was in the room, Dumbledore pressed on to say, "Something about your dream?"

Riley hesitated, her mind going back to her dream as she said darkly in an empty voice, "Flames, flames made of black and orange, flames that reach higher than any I've ever seen in reality. They seemed to eat right through everyone and everything. I heard screams, saw bright flashes of green, red and orange. I don't know what it was, but I heard yowling, barks and screams." She hesitated, and then stammered, "I, I heard a baby crying, saw one sleeping soundly, and saw eyes of a serpent that seemed to devour everyone like a tornado, wreaking havoc on anyone and everyone. It wanted to eat me alive, wanted to see me die and suffer. I saw..." She hesitated, and then said, "I'm almost positive that I saw my mother, or at least the mental picture that I've created of my mother, and my father." She looked at Dumbledore, fear in her eyes. "I don't understand, Dumbledore. It's impossible for me to remember them. So what _is_ this? I've been worried and hurt before, but I've never been truly afraid, not like this. What _is_ it that I keep seeing?" She shook her head and said, "Every night for the past five days, I've been having these dreams, and I can't shake them. I don't know what it is, because I've tried everything. Every night, the dreams get worse, more intense. This time, they were so bad that I could actually feel all of it against my skin, like _I_ was the one it was all happening to. I felt like I was going to go _mad_., and when I woke up, I was sitting up, completely covered in sweat and tears. I, I don't know what happened."

Dumbledore frowned and said, "I believe that what you're seeing is Fiendfyre, and you must be seeing it through the effects of the Black Penetro. It's a Potion that does its master's bidding, searching for any one thing that the master wants out of a person's memory and/or psyche. It will go on forever until it fulfills the master's wish, but what that wish is, I have no idea."

"'Fiendfyre'?" Riley asked in disbelief, as though not having heard the rest of the statement. "As in-"

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded slightly, his voice said as he said, "I think that what you've been dreaming is your parents' deaths, or at least the most logical interpretation that your mind can make out of the facts. After all, you weren't old enough to remember, but you've been told the facts about how it happened. It sounds as though the Black Penetro was just trying to connect the pieces."

"No," Riley said, shaking her head. "That can't be... They didn't... Not like _that_! It had to be a figment of my imagination. I mean, I _know_ how they did, but I never thought..."

"Riley, you _know_ how your parents died," Dumbledore pointed out seriously. "All of the events surrounding their deaths. It was tragic, and terrible, but it _did_ happen. I'm not saying that this is actually how it happened, but your mind might very well be trying to put the pieces together, which would undoubtedly be your worst nightmare."

Riley covered her mouth with her hand, tears slowly sliding down from the corners of her eyes. She lowered her head before pulling her hand away. She took in a deep breath and looked up at Dumbledore. "How do I stop the dreams?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "I don't know. Usually, Black Penetro is administered in small doses; all I can say is that whoever did this somehow had your DNA – which is required for the Black Penetro to work – but also that you consumed a massive dose, which means that the duration is unpredictable, and probably depends on you."

"On me?"

"That's right."

"Do you think that someone's playing some kind of trick on me for personal reasons, or professional?" Riley asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Dumbledore admitted. "There's a lot going on right now that I don't understand, and-"

"Albus! Albus!" a voice yelled.

Riley turned her head in panic and saw Professor McGonagall running into the office in her robe, her hair tied back and her eyes wide in panic.

"What is it, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked seriously as he and Riley got to their feet.

"Come quick, Albus!" Professor McGonagall said hurriedly. "The school! The school's on fire!"

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A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	21. Chapter 19: Ablaze!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Nineteen: Ablaze!

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Dumbledore, Riley and McGonagall rushed downstairs and into the Gryffindor hallway. They ran over to the staircases, only to stop abruptly when they saw that the stairs were lit on fire. Riley's eyes widened in horror as her eyes reflected the flames, burning upward. The characters in the paintings began to run, screaming for help. Riley saw people begin to run down the staircases that weren't on fire, trying to get to the safe side with Dumbledore. Slytherins and Gryffindors alike all made their way over, moving slowly and carefully.

Riley's eyes were caught on the fire, orange and black flames that seemed to rip right through the ceiling and burned into the night air. It seemed to go through the staircases like they were nothing, disintegrating them to ash. She could see it make its way through the Gryffindor tower walls, burning the paintings and bricks as though they were thin pieces of paper. She knew what it was: Fiendfyre. She knew that there were ways to destroy Fiendfyre, to stop it, but she didn't know how. Right now, she couldn't even think; her heart was racing so fast that she thought it would plummet right into her stomach.

Dumbledore raised his wand and yelled out some loud incantation, but Riley couldn't hear it. Her eyes were focused only on the black and orange flames, unable to tear her eyes away. These were the same types of flames that she'd seen in her dreams, the same flames she'd grown to be so afraid of. She'd always had the instinct to be afraid of Fiendfyre, and now she knew why. Still, that knowledge didn't change the fact that she was more terrified than she could ever remember having been in her life. What were they doing here? This was Fiendfyre, the deadliest of all fires and one of the deadliest forms of Dark magic ever created. Why? What was it doing here?

Riley suddenly heard a scream, a high-pitched scream that she couldn't understand, the scream of a girl in terror. Then, Riley heard a boy's voice call out through the flames.

"_Riley!_" Draco yelled from across the room.

Riley turned her head and saw all of the Slytherins and Gryffindors staring over at her and the professors, their eyes all wide in horror. Riley recognized the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs make their way into the room, along with some of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang kids. Riley turned her head, her eyes wide in confusion, only to widen in horror and panic when she saw what they were looking at. Up on the wall, up high where everyone could see, was written in letters made from Fiendfyre:

_Riley O'Malley, remember where this comes from_

_You will be the next one to feel its touch_

"No," Riley said, backing up with her hands covering her mouth.

"Riley!" Aria yelled in panic as she began to run over through the crowd of hundreds of kids.

"No, no, no," Riley said, caught somewhere between her dreams and the terror of seeing those flames. She grabbed onto her ears and fell down to her knees, shaking her head and repeating, "_No! No! No! No!_" over and over again.

"Riley!" Aria yelled in panic as she slid to her knees in front of Riley. She grabbed onto Riley's hands, and said, "Riley, Riley, stop! Stop and listen to me!"

Dumbledore and McGonagall ran over to Riley's side, looking at Riley worriedly. Dumbledore had put out the fiend fire, but it had done its damage. Still, everyone seemed focused on Riley, who was shaking her head wildly, her eyes slammed tight and her voice like a mad woman's.

"Riley," Dumbledore said gently, reaching down to touch Riley on the back.

"_No, no, no, no!_" Riley cried fighting Aria, who was gripping firmly on her wrists.

"It's all right, Riley," Aria said soothingly, though she was more panicked than anyone else in the room. She'd never seen Riley fall to pieces like this, a girl who was usually so emotionally strong was now absolutely terrified; like a child cowering before a giant. "It's just me."

"Get it away," Riley cried, burying her head into Aria's shoulders. Riley held onto her wrists, knowing that if she released them, Riley would start fighting her again. "Get it away!"

Hermione, Ron and Harry all gathered around them, other kids coming to watch as well. Draco, Fred, George, and Ginny all came forward to see Riley shuddering, hiding within Riley's arms. None of them had ever seen Riley like this, with nothing but fear and hysteria in her eyes.

For the first time in her life, Riley was truly terrified; and worse, she was completely defenseless.

* * *

"How bad was the damage?"

Riley was sitting up in her hospital bed, having been taken there to have Madam Pomfrey force a sedative down her just to get her to fall asleep. It was eight hours later, and Riley had just begun to feel herself wake up half an hour ago. Now, she was sitting up in bed, her hands folded on her lap, and her eyes half-closed as she listened to her friends. They were standing around her bed, Riley's hands rested on her lap as she continued to stare at nothing; her eyes adjusted and filled with a complete void of all emotions.

Fred frowned from where he was standing, his arms folded. Ginny was standing beside him, and Aria sitting on the bedside. "The entire Gryffindor tower is gone," he said in a sigh. "And half of the staircases. Dumbledore stopped it before it reached Slytherin's tower."

Riley closed her eyes. "The animals?"

"The owls and cats are all accounted for," Fred answered, his voice tight and strained, "But most of the possessions there were lost. Everyone grabbed what they could when they heard someone yell about fire, so we were able to grab your trunk and Aria's, but most of the people in Gryffindor lost their stuff."

Riley covered her mouth with her hand and closed her eyes, clearly doing her best not to cry.

"Riley, this is not your fault," Aria said firmly.

"How can you say that?" Riley asked, looking at Aria through tear-glistened eyes. "You saw the message, Aria." Aria flinched, but said nothing back. Riley's eyes were filled with pain as she exclaimed, "The entire Gryffindor tower is gone, people's stuff lost; all because someone was sending a message to _me_. Someone _knows_, about..." She looked away, unable to finish her sentence, and Aria's eyes half-closed in understanding. Aria knew the significance of the Fiendfyre, even if no one else did. Riley said in a quiet, shaky voice, "Someone could have been caught in the flames, and if that had happened, they would have died within seconds." Riley looked at Aria and said through narrowed eyes, "If that had happened, I never would have forgiven myself."

"Can you, now?" Aria asked, looking at Riley, right in the eye.

Riley lowered her head to look at her hands, and Ginny said gently, but seriously, "She's right, Riley. This is so far from being your fault. A lot of weird things have been going on this year. This is just one of them."

"But who would do something like that, put everyone's lives in dangers just to mess with my head?" Riley asked, confused.

"The same person who would put Harry's name into the Goblet," Ginny pointed out.

Riley hesitated, and then asked, "What's Gryffindor going to do for housing?"

Fred rolled his eyes back and struggled to hide his annoyance as he said, "We're going to be rooming with the Slytherin kids until the Aurors who are coming in tomorrow, fix the tower. It's going to take them at least a week, probably longer."

Riley managed a smile as she looked at Fred and said, "Oh, _that'll_ be interesting." She couldn't even imagine the two Houses sharing a real conversation without arguing, let alone rooming together.

"See?" Aria said, nudging Riley with her hand. "Things'll be okay. You'll see."

Riley frowned and said, "No, Aria, I get the feeling that things have only begun to get bad."

* * *

A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	22. Chapter 20: Rita Skeeter Quill Gone Wild

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twenty: Rita Skeeter's Quill Gone Mad

* * *

"Well, look who's tired this morning?" Ginny teased as Riley came over, her eyes half-closed and filled with exhaustion. She fumbled her way onto the bench and laid her head down the table on her arms, not even bothering to grab food.

"Probably has something to do with staying up all night long with the lights on," Hermione said subtly, hiding her annoyance behind the newspaper she was holding.

"I'm tired," was all Riley muttered, not even responding to the other comments.

"I know," Aria said, trying hard not to laugh as she rubbed Riley's back. "Try to eat something, though. You have to get your strength together before heading to the library."

"You're going to the library _again?_" Ginny asked in surprise. "Haven't you been there for like the last two weeks?"

"I'm trying to figure out this friekin' clue," Riley muttered as she lifted her head, but not her arms, to look wearily at Ginny and Hermione. "I have two weeks to figure it out, and I have no idea what I'm facing."

"You want some help?" Ginny asked, smiling in amusement as she looked at Riley.

"Would you mind?" Riley asked, sounding somewhat hopeful. "That would be great."

"If you can stay up long enough for me to help you, then I'd love to," Ginny said, trying not to laugh.

"Has Harry figured it out?" Aria asked, looking at Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry and Ron came over with their food. "Of course not. Like always, he's going to wait until the last minute."

"Who's going to wait 'til the last minute to do what?" Ron asked as he finished swallowing his eggs.

"Honestly, Ron, could you at least finish eating before you talk?" Hermione exclaimed, voicing Ginny and Aria's thoughts.

"We're talking about the Third Task," Aria explained, looking at Riley, who'd lowered her head to the table. "About the clue."

"Oh, yeah," Harry said, shrugging. "I haven't even started on the clue yet. Why?"

"I rest my case," Hermione said, shrugging in defeat. The other girls laughed, leaving the boys clueless.

"Hey, look at this," Ron said as he picked up the Daily Prophet. "Rita Skeeter's got a front page article again, and it looks like it's on the tournament." He began reading, only to frown as he continued.

"What's that git got to say now?" Riley asked, poking at her food with her food that Aria had just pushed in front of her. "Must be interesting, because everyone's got a copy." She sat up and looked around. Sure enough, everyone seemed to be reading intensely, even more so than normal.

"Um, yeah," Ron said awkwardly. "Well, it's definitely not _not_ interesting."

"What are you talking about, Ron?" Hermione asked. She grabbed the paper from Ron's hand and began to read. Her eyes widened in alarm, and she said, "Oh."

"What are you two going on about?" Riley asked, confused.

Riley heard a couple of Hogwarts girls walk up behind her, and begin to whisper and giggle. Riley could hear them say, "That's the one, the faker."

"Did you read the whole thing?"

Riley clenched the fork in her hand and said through gritted teeth, "She wrote another article about me, didn't she?"

Hermione and Ron hesitated, looking down at the paper. Aria, George, Fred and Harry walked up, all of them looking awkwardly at Riley as Ron asked in a nervous voice, "Do you want the honest answer?"

Riley suddenly snatched the paper out of Ron's hands, and Aria said awkwardly, "Riley."

Riley ignored her friend, unable to deal with the comments that she was hearing around the room, and she began to read. Almost instantly, she felt her ears burn.

* * *

**DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION,**

**IS SHE **_**THAT**_** TERRIBLE?**

"The lovely and highly intelligent Rita Skeeter is reporting from shortly after her visit to Hogwarts after a most terrifying example of desperate attention-seeking. One night, while everyone else was asleep, a mysterious witch made her way into the Gryffindor dormitory (very suspicious, isn't it?) and set the entire dorm on fire. Putting poor, defenseless kids in need for a place to stay, the Gryffindors and Silvergates students were forced to stay with their arch-rivals, the Slytherins. On the way to their new accommodations, they found a terrifying message on the wall, presumed to be written in fire to and by Miss Riley O'Malley herself! Could this be a desperate attempt for attention? Is the spot of a TriWizard Champion not enough for this arrogant young witch? One witness believes so.

Forced into a life of loneliness as an orphan, O'Malley has known nothing but ridicule and hardship, feeling the weight of the entire world crash around her as she began to learn magic at an early age. Growing up in an orphanage, she was treated as less than scum, her only savior being her Pureblood heritage. This hot air that forms from Purebloods, however, has taken form in her superior attitude with which she treats other members of the wizarding community, including Muggleborns and half-bloods. Faced with only one option from a very early age, O'Malley went to Durmstrang Institute in Bulgaria, along with the very handsome Champion, Viktor Krum, the two of whom were seen walking alone together shortly after arriving at Hogwarts for the TriWizard Tournament. It was thought that Miss Hermione Granger – presumed to be chasing Mr. Harry Potter – would be spending time romantically with Mr. Krum, but are these childhood sweethearts destined to be together instead?

However, due to her incompetence and mediocre skills as a witch, O'Malley was expelled at the end of her first year at Durmstrang, and found herself at the mercy of Gregor Slater, who only allowed for Riley to enroll at Silvergates out of pity. Good-hearted Slater gave pity to the poor delinquent, and now it looks like all of his hard work has come to a crashing halt. Has the Silvergates Champion gone rogue and left all sense of good and purity behind? Will she tarnish the name of the TriWizard Tournament? Only time will tell, and this beautiful and extremely talented reporter, Rita Skeeter."

* * *

By the time that Riley had finished reading the last paragraph, her ears were bright red, her teeth clenched and her eyes practically on fire.

"Riley?" Hermione asked nervously, as though wanting to see if she was breathing.

"Jeeze, one minute she's saying that she's going to end up with Malfoy, and the next she's saying she's going to end up with Krum. Would the woman make up her mind?" Ron asked, not totally noticing Riley's reaction.

"I don't think that's the point here, Ron," Ginny said to her brother as she looked warily at Riley.

"Damn it..." Riley said through clenched teeth, barely loud enough to hear. "DAMN HER!" She yelled, slamming the paper and her hands against the table as she stood up in the same motion. At the exact moment that her hands and paper hit the table, every edition of the _Daily Prophet_ and _Witch Weekly_ suddenly burst into flames, right in the hands of their readers. Almost every kid in the hall had a copy, and at the exact same moment, every copy went into flames. Most kids instinctively dropped their copies, some kids got burnt before releasing them.

"_Whoa!_" a Hogwarts boy yelled as his hands suddenly lit on fire. Some kids had to throw their water and pumpkin juice on his hands to get the flames to stop before taking him to the medical wing.

"I'll kill her," Riley said, her eyes blazing. "I told her that if she ever wrote anything about that, _I'd kill her!"_

"Riley," Aria said as she ran after Riley, who stormed into the hallway. "Hold on, Riley."

"I can't believe it!" Riley exclaimed, spinning around. She pointed outward, as though imagining Rita Skeeter standing right in front of her. "She has no idea of why I left Durmstrang, no idea! She has _no idea_ what I've gone through, what I _am_ going through! Yet she has the gall to say..." She couldn't even finish the sentence, only to go on to say. "She's made me look like a wimp and a coward to _the entire world!_ I _knew_ she would screw with the truth. I _knew_ it. Now everyone thinks..." She spun around, gripping at her head as she screamed, "_Gaahhh!_"

"Upset, Riley?" a voice sneered.

Riley slowly turned her head, all of her muscles tense as she recognized the voice. She saw Karkaroff walking over, a smirk on his face as Viktor walked up behind him. Viktor looked uncomfortable and Riley realized that he must have read the article, or had someone translate it for him.

"Karkaroff..." Riley said through gritted teeth.

"Good to see someone finally get you upset," Karkaroff said, smirking. "Shows that you can't get away with everything; that your actions have consequences."

"Professor Karkaroff," Aria began, her eyes narrowed as she looked at the Durmstrang headmaster. "Maybe-"

"I wasn't talking to you," Karkaroff said, glaring at Aria. "Next time, mind your own business."

"_Shut up!_" Riley yelled, suddenly drawing her wand and aiming it at Karkaroff. Karkaroff flinched, but didn't move and Riley's eyes narrowed, wild with fury. "You have no right to talk down to her, you rolling piece of fodder!"

"Riley!" Aria exclaimed.

"Riley," Viktor said uncomfortably. "Put ze vand down."

"You talked to her, didn't you?" Riley asked, looking right at Karkaroff. She didn't even have to expound for Karkaroff to know what she meant. She knew he knew what she meant by the look in his eyes.

"You had it coming," Karkaroff said, his eyes narrowed.

"Karkaroff?" Viktor exclaimed in disbelief as he looked at his headmaster.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you for trying to make my life hell," Riley said, her eyes narrowed and filled with anger.

"You'd be sent to Azkaban," Karkaroff pointed out.

"It'd be worth it to see you in the ground," Riley said in a low voice, the threat unhidden.

"Riley," Aria said in a pleading voice. "Stop this. This isn't going to stop until _you_ stop it."

"I've tried," Riley said angrily. "For three years, I've tried putting Durmstrang behind me, but this jackass won't let me."

"After what you did, you're right," Karkaroff sneered. "You're not the only one that was affected by your actions. You put the school at risk, destroyed the lives of that boy's parents, and put my career at risk. If I hadn't done something back then, you would have destroyed the entire school, but since when does Riley O'Malley care about her own actions? You resumed your rise to the top, where you believed power and fame would come at an easy cost. I don't know which idiot snuck your name into the Goblet of Fire, but I'm not about to let some stupid brat's naive decision ruin the integrity of this competition. I knew that it would take something drastic to bring your ego from out of the clouds, so yeah, I talked to her. Now, you may finally get what you deserve."

Riley's eyes burned with anger as she spat darkly, "I never cared about power. I've always wanted to learn, and to become stronger, but that was never because I wanted to be the powerhungry warmonger that you portrayed me to be after the attack. I was angry, and I had an ability that reacted to that anger. You knew that all along, but it wasn't until the results put your livelihood at risk that you did anything about it, you rotten piece of scum."

Karkaroff's eyes burned with a similar hatred as he said in a low voice, "Better your life than mine, as far as I'm concerned."

Viktor, who had been watching the two in confusion, narrowed his eyes angrily at his headmaster. He made his way over to stand beside Riley, and Karkaroff's eyes went wild with rage. "Viktor! Get over here, now!"

"Riley," Viktor said, ignoring his headmaster as he looked at Riley. "Enuv."

Riley hesitated, her muscles twitching. Finally, she lowered her wand. Karkaroff eased off, relaxing visibly. Then Riley suddenly thrust her wand up and yelled, "_Stupefy_!"

The spell hit Karkaroff with a blinding light and sent him flying up against the wall.

"Riley!" Viktor and Aria exclaimed in panic.

"Oh, good grief," Riley said, rolling her eyes as she looked at her friends. "I just stunned him. I didn't do any serious damage. He'll be fine in an hour or so." She looked back at Karkaroff and addedbitterly, "Unfortunately." With that, Riley stormed off, not bothering to pay attention to either Aria or Viktor as they looked after her worriedly.

"She eezn' ge'ing any be'er, iz she?" Viktor asked awkwardly.

Aria frowned as she looked in the direction where Riley had disappeared. "She's got a lot of ghosts she has to live with, Viktor. Until then, no."

* * *

Riley sat with her head leaned back against the window sill as she looked over the Hogwarts grounds. Hedwig, Harry's white owl, had flown over to the tower and was sitting on Riley's knee. Riley stroked the owl's soft white feathers, marveling at how tame the creature was. She had more personality than Riley could believe, but she was unbelievably calm as well.

"Well, _that_ was interesting," Harry said, surprising Riley as he walked into the tower. He walked over and sat down on a bench near where Riley was sitting, leaning back against the wall. "Papers burning out of thin air, attacking headmasters, and hearing a lot of cryptic comments that I couldn't understand… this was definitely a day to remember."

"No matter how hard I try to run, it still chases me," Riley muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Wanna talk?"

Riley looked over at Harry and said, "You read that paper. _Apparently,_ I'm a desperate and lonely trouble-maker who is willing to set a castle on fire and risk hundreds of lives just so that people will acknowledge me. I could vomit or piss out more truth than is on that paper."

"Riley," Harry asked, frowning. "I know that this is clearly a touchy subject with you, but _why were_ you expelled from Durmstrang?"

Riley frowned, looking at Harry. His expression was calm, but serious; his gaze was even, and it was clear that he wanted an answer, and not to laugh at or judge. She hesitated, and then asked, "Will you promise not to tell anyone?"

Harry nodded. "Of course."

Riley hesitated, and then said, "My first year at Durmstrang, I was doing really well. I was ranked above all of the kids in my class, taking some lessons with them, and some with the second-years. I spent almost all of my time alone, in the library, or with my teachers."

"Why be so isolated?" Harry asked, clearly confused.

"Because it was the only way to ensure that everyone remained safe," Riley answered as she looked down. "You see, I'm extremely accident prone when I'm around people and angry. Separated from my only friend – Aria – and in a completely new place, I was lost, and got angry and offended extremely easily. I separated myself from other people and followed the one passion that I could do anything about: learning. To the people of Durmstrang, isolation was a sign that there was something wrong with me; when those same people found out that I spent all of my time in the library and practicing spells that were well beyond my years, they decided that I was doing one thing: training myself to obtain more power. I guess they weren't entirely wrong, because I've wanted to become stronger my entire life, and I see no limit to the amount of power that a person can accumulate. At the age of twelve, though, it's considered unnecessary and dangerous, so everyone assumed that I was a freak on the warpath. Because of that, I became an outsider to almost everyone. In fact, very few students would go near me, let alone talk to me. Viktor was among the few that gave me a chance. But even he wouldn't go near me when my emotions were riled. You see, we I got angry, snakes would suddenly appear and attack everyone, feeding off of my anger and vengeance. That, or glass breaks, fire erupts, and sometimes even electrical outlets will explode. I figured that if I was alone, no one would get me angry, and no one would get hurt."

"Snakes?" Harry asked in surprise.

Riley nodded. "Yeah, I'm a Parstlemouth." Harry's eyes widened in surprise, and Riley nodded again, only to say, "Yep, I'm just like you, Harry. Difference is that mine is hereditary, whereas no one seems to know for certain why _you're_ a Parstlemouth. All of the women on my mother's side of the family are Parstlemouths. Well, I was by myself one day in the forest, trying to concentrate on practicing some spells, and two people appeared. One was Viktor, and one was a friend of his, a boy named Raul. Well, Viktor and I were kind of friends, in that he actually cared about me and was willing to talk to me and work with me on spells, but Raul was a total jerk."

"'Was'?" Harry asked in surprise.

Riley nodded and said awkwardly as she looked down, "Yeah, well, he began making fun of me, calling me a freak and useless wimp because I spent all of my time alone. No one ever saw that I was a Parstlemouth, so no one knew why I kept myself distant. I'd done well at keeping myself apart from everyone, to keep my emotions under control, until he shoved me into a lake, getting me and my homework wet, and then called me a useless idiot. There were some other words involved, but that set me off."

"Snakes?" Harry guessed.

Riley nodded. "Yeah. A large python – must have been thirty feet long and a foot thick – came out and attacked Raul. It didn't hurt Viktor, only Raul. I was so angry that I couldn't think. I was hurting, wanted Raul to pay for making fun of me and ruining my homework. I was out of control, wanting revenge, and the snake felt it. I was commanding it to attack him without realizing it, and it did. It tightened itself around his body without relent, cracking every bone in his body and suffocating him, just like it would to its prey."

"He died?" Harry asked nervously.

"Yeah," Riley said simply, her voice drained of all energy and emotion. "Viktor was forced to testify about what I'd done – not that I blame him – and I was expelled less than a week later." She scoffed and rolled her eyes as she said, "Karkaroff was my biggest fan up until that point; he saw that I was growing distant from everyone, but it wasn't until his public image was threatened that he decided to get rid of me. I had no family, no money, and nowhere to go, but he didn't care. After all, if news spread that a first-year girl had the ability to speak to snakes – which was considered unacceptable at the time, and still sort of is – then Durmstrang would have received a major slap across the face, and parents would have begun pulling their students out of school in the blink of an eye. Karkaroff would have been relieved as Headmaster, and the school never would have recovered. As it was, Karkaroff was put under investigation, and I was thrown out onto the street. He's hated me ever since for putting his livelihood at risk, all because I let my anger get the best of me." Harry stared in shock, clearly thrown by what Riley was saying, but he didn't say anything. Riley let out a long sigh as she continued to say, "I was sent back to America without any place to go to. Spent a while on my own, staying wherever I could and doing whatever was necessary to survive, until Aria showed up and used what money she had to keep us both off of the street. Slater extended the offer to come to Silvergates three months later, and I've lived at the mansion ever since, and Aria's lived there with me."

"Why does that story sound so familiar?" Harry asked, confused as he tried to remember where he'd heard that story before.

"Because it's what happened to Rona Ravenclaw," Riley said, looking up at Harry through clear, firm eyes. Harry's eyes blinked in surprise, and Riley shrugged as she said, "Yep, it's true. I'm the great-great granddaughter of Rona Ravenclaw, founder of Silvergates and freak of nature."

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Harry asked in surprise. "That's not something to be ashamed of. That's absolutely incredible."

Riley raised an eyebrow and asked, "You think it's wise for me to go around and say that I killed a fourth-year boy in the exact way that my great-great grandmother did, that I've been expelled from a foreign school and returned to the school that my ancestor built?" Harry looked down awkwardly, understanding Riley's point. Riley smiled and nodded, "Exactly, Harry. Everyone in the wizarding world would think that I was the reincarnation of Rona Ravenclaw, that I was back only to reenact the past. I couldn't deal with that." Riley scoffed, leaning her head back in disbelief as she said, "You know that paper called Slater 'good-hearted'?" She closed her eyes and scoffed again, opening them and said, "Son of a bitch only accepted me into Silvergates because of my heritage, just like Karkaroff did. They both knew about my relationship to Rona, and that's the only reason they accepted me. They knew that my association with the school – not to mention the incredible amount of power that I seemed able to summon – would only boost the reputation of the school. Slater has let me get away with a lot, even when I don't intentionally do it, but Karkaroff definitely had his lines that he wouldn't let me cross. Slater is more flexible, but overall, I think that they're cut from the same cloth. They're both worthless bastards that're just using me." She shrugged, her eyes distant as she commented, "But what's the alternative? Living with one bastard or another, it doesn't make a difference. I don't have money like Aria, and I don't have any family to turn to. Silvergates is the only home I have, and I'm going to protect that home for as long as I can. Still, I'm sure that Slater wouldn't expel me if he had the right reason; in the meantime, he's milking my heritage for as much as he can, even if he doesn't tell everyone about it. The only reason I'm even here now is because of just how much I'm capable of. He resents my history, but he loves my power and heritage. In fact, if it had been anyone else in my position in this Tournament, he would have expelled them. He doesn't support me; he _tolerates_ and _uses_ me."

"It doesn't matter why he let you in, or if he supports you" Harry pointed out. "You're in, that's all that matters. You're in the tournament; you have a home. If you win this tournament, you'll have money and fame, and you won't be relying on Slater and Silvergates anymore."

"I don't give a damn about whether or not I win," Riley scoffed, her eyes filled with dislike as she looked at Harry. "For all I care, I could come in last. As long as I live, I'm fine. What I want is for Silvergates to be invited back, because then I'll be able to stay at Silvergates, at least for another year."

"Slater's support of you doesn't matter," Harry insisted, disliking having to see his friend appear so unhappy. "All that matters is that you're surviving, and doing well."

"No," Riley said, shaking her head. "It's not. You know, Rita Skeeter knows about where I come from. She doesn't know everything about me, but she knows that I was expelled from Durmstrang, and that my great-great grandmother had almost the exact same thing happen, under almost identical circumstances. Where I see freakish coincidence," her eyes darkened as she said, "She sees reincarnation, the return of a Ravenclaw. I'm the only living descendant of Rona Ravenclaw, and Rita would _love_ to exploit that."

"That's insane," Harry said in disbelief.

"She planned on reporting that," Riley said, rolling her eyes and ignoring Harry's comment. "She planned on telling everyone that I was my great-great grandmother's reincarnation. The only thing that stopped her was my asking Dumbledore to ensure that she didn't, and he spoke to her boss. She agreed not to report it after that. Apparently, she still found a way to sully my name and make me look bad."

"Just prove them wrong," Harry said as he narrowed his eyes seriously. "The world thinks that you're a terrible witch now because of Rita; make her look bad by proving just how good you are."

Riley sighed and said, "Once word of what I just did to Karkaroff gets out, I'm going to look even worse. Slater will have just one more reason to expel me."

"Would you take it back?" Harry asked curiously.

Riley chuckled and looked at Harry with a smile. "Not for the world."

Harry nodded. "Then there you go. Just smile and prove them wrong, and quit attacking the teachers." He hesitated, and then said, "Riley, how much more is there about you that we should know about? That I should know about?" Riley raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and Harry said, "Every time something happens, I learn more about you and your past. I get the feeling that I've only scratched the surface."

Riley smiled and said, "Good instincts. I'm not going to tell you everything right now, Harry, because most of it doesn't concern you right now. Someday, maybe I'll tell you, if the need ever arises."

"But..." Harry said, sensing that she wanted to say something.

Riley's eyes twinkled knowingly. "Let's just say that we're a lot more alike than you think; a lot more connected."

"You're not going to tell me that we're related, are you?" Harry asked awkwardly.

Riley laughed and threw her head back. "That _would_ be interesting, now wouldn't it?" she laughed, then looked at Harry and said, "No, we're definitely not related; at least, as far as I know. But like I said, I might tell you someday. Just wait."

"All right," Harry said, shrugging as he stood up. "Take care of Hedwig for me." With that, he turned and walked.

Riley watched Harry and looked back at Hedwig before saying, "Will do." Then she looked out the window, feeling a little bit better.

* * *

A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	23. Chapter 21: Lucius

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twenty-one: Lucius Malfoy

* * *

"Ba-dam-dee-dum," Riley muttered under her breath as she moved through the hallway, listening to her MP3 player, which was resting in her back pocket. She spun around on her heels, moving to the music and avoiding thinking about the egg with every ounce of energy she had. The last thing she wanted was to think about the egg and Tasks, especially when she'd just dealt with Rita Skeeter's article and was just getting over the anger and shock.

Riley suddenly heard footsteps, loud ones as they made their way down the nearest hallway. Riley pulled her headphones off and stopped in place, watching as she listened to the person's hurried, but not running, footsteps. Her eyes widened in alarm when she recognized the person walking down the hallway, at least a hundred feet away from her.

Riley's eyes widened in alarm and she spun back around the corner, pinning herself against the wall. She was literally standing with her arms and other limbs pressed right against the wall, her filled with confusion and terror as her head began to spin. Those piercing blue eyes, the coat and tie, the long, bleach blonde hair, the cane, and the powerful effect on the atmosphere... Riley closed her eyes. There was no doubt who it was, or what it meant.

Lucius Malfoy had come to Hogwarts.

* * *

Lucius stormed into Dumbledore's office, where he found the old man standing with, who Lucius recognized to be, Gregor Slater, and Igor Karkaroff. Karkaroff grew tense when he saw Lucius enter, but Lucius didn't bother paying attention to his old friend. That would stir up a cauldron that didn't need to be messed with.

"Well, Lucius," Dumbledore said, looking over at Lucius. "I would like to say this is a surprise, but I'm afraid that it's not."

"Well, I should certainly hope not," Lucius said, raising his head indifferently. "The famous and notoriously safe Hogwarts gets attacked by Fiendfyre? You're lucky that the Ministry isn't having you shut down instead of sending me out."

"The Ministry has no such power," Dumbledore pointed out simply.

Ignoring his comment, Lucius made his way around the room and said, "The Board of Governors had a meeting yesterday discussing the events that have been going on here at Hogwarts."

"Your department has a great deal of meetings, should I recall correctly," Slater said, folding his arms as he leaned back against a desk in the room, staring at Lucius with a self-assured look.

Lucius turned to face Slater and said, "Yes, well, I'm sure that the customs of our country our still new to you, Gregor Slater, but when the Board of Governors meets and one of the nine Lord of Governors – which includes me – decides to make a house visit, it's generally not a good sign."

Slater rolled his eyes in a I-knew-that-I'm-not-dumb way, but he said nothing.

Dumbledore nodded and said politely, "What is on your mind, Lucius?"

"Have the Aurors begun to reconstruct the Gryffindor tower?" Lucius asked, looking out the window at the Hogwarts grounds.

"Yes, and they're doing a remarkable job, considering how much damage the Fiendfyre did to the foundation," Dumbledore said with a proud nod. "It's all under control, and the students whose possessions were lost in the fire are in Hogsmeade now buying new supplies; paid for by Hogwarts, of course."

"Of course," Lucius said expectantly, looking everything in the room up and down.

"Is something wrong?" Slater asked, growing somewhat impatient.

"Well, the safety of the students of Hogwarts, of course," Lucius said in a pleasant voice as he faced the other men. "Now, I understand your desire and 'dream' for international cooperation, with the hope that America could fit in easily with the other schools here at the TriWizard Tournament, but I'm afraid that things have gone a bit dark this year, much worse than anyone at the Ministry expected. Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman are having second thoughts-"

"Ludo is questioning Silvergates' participation?" Dumbledore asked with surprise and interest. "Interesting that he never said a word when we were having a drink yesterday. In fact, he was quite appraising of Miss O'Malley..."

Lucius ignored Dumbledore and went on to say, "And the Board of Governors feel that having a fourth school participate is putting the lives of students and faculty in danger, which we cannot have, now can we?"

"You want to exclude us from future tournaments?" Slater asked defensively.

"I believe that having a fourth school this year has only proven to be a liability, as problems such as these have never occurred before and would be unlikely to have happened at all if your school was not here."

"It would require someone of great power in order to summon fiendfyre, more than that of a single student," Slater pointed out. "My students are not to be punished for that."

"Exactly," Lucius said, nodding. "And it seems that it's _your _student that is antagonizing this person – whoever they might be – and we can't risk that happening again in the future. You're lucky that the Tournament hasn't been postponed at all."

"The next tournament is a thousand years from now," Slater said in disbelief. "Why are we discussing this _now?_"

"Because the Cup must be adjusted over this next year if it is to be returned to its normal standard," Lucius explained simply. "And we all know that Silvergates participates with Hogwarts in more events than just the TriWizard Tournament."

"I'd like to point out that, should we get excluded from future tournaments," Slater said, his eyes narrowed at Lucius, "That my Champion will be expelled from Silvergates."

"The affairs of one witch are not my concern," Lucius pointed out.

"Or your son's?" Slater asked in an open challenge, clearly sensing that there was more going on than Lucius was allowing to be known.

Before Lucius could respond, Dumbledore said politely, "What I think Gregor is trying to ask is whether your decision is tempered by your emotions as a father." Lucius narrowed his eyes, and Dumbledore said, "All of this bad press with Rita Skeeter has been going on for weeks, and she has certainly blown things out of proportion."

"I hold no faith in anything that that woman has to say," Lucius said fiercely, though the edge in his voice suggested otherwise. "I do not appreciate the bad publicity or the mark that she has seen fit to place on Draco's reputation, but anyone who flaunts herself with such arrogance and ignorance, and manages to twist the words of everything that the 'witness' has to say has no accreditation in my book. No, this decision was made by the Board of Governors."

"So this decision isn't fueled by your fear of young Draco's safety?" Dumbledore asked, looking interested. "After all, with all of the incidences that have occurred recently to the girl that he spends more time with than anyone else these days, it would be understandable that you wouldn't want to risk her return in the future."

Even Slater couldn't help but smirk at this, obviously pleased of having even a slight connection to Riley, who was clearly making Lucius squirm in the way that he was.

"Draco can take care of himself," Lucius said simply, raising his chin proudly. "He is a strong and capable boy, and I know that he gets stronger by the day, much of which is thanks to your _Champion_," he added, looking at Slater who narrowed his eyes in a way similar to that of a cat as he looked away. Lucius looked back at Dumbledore and said, "My only concern is for the safety of _all_ of the students here. You made a point earlier about the Board of Governors not having the power to shut down the school," Lucius said, facing Dumbledore. "This is true, and we are unable to stop the TriWizard Tournament from continuing, but we _do _have the power to dismiss you for a short amount of time if we believe that you are no longer capable of doing the tasks required of Headmaster, if you cannot keep your students safe. We both know this, as it wouldn't be the first time that we've done that."

"Oh, I don't deny your power within the Ministry for a minute, Lucius," Dumbledore said, sounding somewhat more innocent than everyone knew he was.

"Then you should know that if there is one more act of violence, that the Board of Governors will not hesitate to dismiss you," Lucius said, secretly thinking about his own wishes for some huge act of violence to break out in the school just so he could watch the old geezer get kicked out onto the front lawn.

"Of course."

"Igor, you've been awful quiet in all of this," Dumbledore said, looking over at Karkaroff, who was watching with a blank expression on his face. "Do you have nothing to say?"

"I'm sorry, Dumbledore, but I would prefer not to be included in this conversation," Karkaroff said, frowning seriously.

"Oh, do tell why," Lucius said with interest. "I don't remember you being this shy."

Karkaroff hesitated, and then asked, "How can you expect me to be so impartial on a matter concerning a student who I expelled and was recently attacked by?"

"Right, because you did _nothing _to deserve getting your ass handed to you," Slater muttered sarcastically.

"That's not important," Karkaroff said with an annoyed glance at his friend.

"Talking to Rita Skeeter and feeding her lies about why Riley was expelled, and why I've taken her into my care, is a _very_ good reason to kick your ass," Slater said, his eyes narrowed. "Frankly, I'm surprised she stopped with Stunning you. If I had been there, I would have done a _great_ deal more than simply Stun you, and _I'm_ actually your friend."

"Would you have preferred that I tell Skeeter the truth?" Karkaroff barked back challengingly. "I could easily have done so, and let her take wing with it."

"No, just keep your mouth shut," Slater snapped. "You're a judge here, impartial and unbiased. Or, at least you're _supposed _to be; with that little stunt you pulled at the First Task - marking my student lowest just because you dislike her - I'd love nothing more than to kick you out of the poll altogether."

"Gentlemen," Lucius said, feeding on every word like it was candy to a baby, "As interesting as this has been, I must take my leave."

"Hold on," Slater said, facing Lucius as he had begun to leave. Lucius stopped and faced Slater, who had turned back to him, his eyes narrowed with thought as he said, "What about a compromise?"

"Oh?" Lucius asked with interest.

"Assuming that no one dies because of the actions of my Champion, and no structural damage comes out of the next three Tasks," Slater said reasonably, "We return."

Lucius hesitated, and then said, "I would have to propose it to my colleagues."

Slater shrugged and said, "Understandable."

Lucius nodded and then said, "Gentlemen." With that, he turned around and was about to walk away when he heard Dumbledore say his name. Once more, he turned backed and saw the old man staring after him, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Have a free roam around the castle, say hello to Draco if you feel like it, but please do not interrupt the reconstruction."

Lucius's eyes glittered and he said sincerely, "Oh, believe me, I have no intention of disrupting anything at this school." With that, he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	24. Chapter 22: A Father's Love

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twenty-two: A Father's "Love"

* * *

Draco pointed his wand at the bowl and said firmly, "_Reducto_!" The bowl suddenly blasted into a thousand pieces, and Draco looked at the pieces as they laid on the floor. He pointed his wand at them, gave a wave of his hand and said, "_Reparo_!"

A moment later, the pieces of the bowl began to fly up into the air, moving themselves back into place as they repaired themselves. Draco smiled, pleased with his work as the bowl finished mending itself. He walked over and picked it up, looking to see how it had done. There wasn't a single scratch or crack to show that it had ever been broken, exactly how it should be.

Draco heard clapping and turned his head to see who was there, only to be surprised and alarmed when he saw his father walking over, looking pleased.

"Performed to perfection," Lucius said in approval as he walked over. "You know, I bet you could fill this with water and it wouldn't leak at all." He gave a wave of his wand over the bowl and it instantly began to fill with water. Lucius took it from Draco's hands and looked at it, smiling in approval. "As I suspected, it's in perfect condition." A moment later, the water disappeared.

"Father," Draco said in surprise, looking around. "What-"

"I told you that all you needed to do was focus your concentration more," Lucius said, setting the bowl down on the stand where Draco had had it sitting before. "I'm glad to see that you've taken an interest in bettering yourself as a wizard."

Draco blinked and said, "Yes, Father."

"This wouldn't, by chance, have to do with the Silvergates witch, would it?" Lucius asked, looking at his son. "Not that I'm complaining, because I really do love to see you better yourself, but I want to know if your sudden interest in schoolwork and magic is because you need to become better, or because you're infatuated with a TriWizard Champion from another country."

Draco frowned, confused at what this had to do with anything, and unnerved that his father seemed to only have interest in whether or not he liked Riley. He said simply, "I chose to practice magic because I need to know this stuff. This is only the basics of the magics that I plan to learn."

"That's good," Lucius said, facing Draco. "Tell me, what do you know of this Riley O'Malley?"

Draco shrugged and admitted, "Not a lot, I guess. I know that she's friendly toward just about everyone _except_ Karkaroff."

"Yes, I heard about the recent incident between her and Igor," Lucius said, frowning in acknowledgment. "Something about her having been expelled, and that rat Rita Skeeter lying about why in the newspaper. What else?"

Draco thought about it and admitted, "I know that she and Slater aren't on very good terms, even though they tolerate one another, but that's about it."

"The girl is a Parstlemouth, Draco," Lucius said, his eyes narrowed as he looked at his son. Draco's eyes widened in alarm, and Lucius continued to say, "This girl is a very powerful witch, from what I've been able to dig up on her. There isn't much there that hasn't already been leaked into Rita Skeeter's tabloid, but I'm not done looking."

Draco knew what he meant, but only asked, "What are you thinking about? Recruiting her? She hangs pretty tight with Potter and his lot, so I doubt there's anything that you can do to persuade her."

"And yet you continue to spend more and more time with her, more than with anyone else, even those in Slytherin," Lucius pointed out. Draco frowned, not knowing how to respond to that. Lucius went on to say, "There must be something about her that you find worthy; something Dark about her that attracts you to her so."

That was somewhat true. Draco _did _sense something about Riley that was darker, something about her that was vengeful and boiling, just waiting to explode. Still, he wasn't going to tell his father that. Besides, Lucius seemed awfully interested in Riley, which only peaked Draco's suspicions.

"Are you trying to smoke me out?" Draco asked in disbelief. "To see if I'm going to leave you and mother and everything we've been doing since before I was born for Potter and his lot, all over a girl?"

Lucius narrowed his eyes and said, "I'm only trying to remind you of what is at stake here, and that you don't really know this girl as well as you may think you do."

"Father," Draco said in a firm, clear voice. "I can't make it clearer to you than this: I'm loyal to our family, and the causes our family believes in. I will do anything for you and mother, and any other _friends_ that you might have. No girl, no matter _wh_o it is, is ever going to change that."

Lucius narrowed his eyes as he looked at Draco, neither bending their gazes for several moments before Lucius blinked and said, "Write your mother soon; she'll want to hear from you, especially considering all of the events that have happened here recently."

"Yeah," Draco said, his eyes narrowed as he watched his father turn around and begin to walk away.

Lucius stopped at the doorway and looked back at Draco. He then said clearly, "Remember what you just told me, Draco, and don't let yourself grow too close to a girl that you're not willing to take with you to the end of your journey. If you don't think she'll work with us, don't even consider pursuing her. After all, this time of yours in Hogwarts is little more than a facade. Soon, you'll be expected to come back to reality, and leave everything else behind."

Draco blinked, but said nothing as he watched Lucius walk out the room. Once he was alone, Draco closed his eyes, struggling to hold onto the last bit of sanity he felt. Suddenly able to control himself, Draco spun around and kicked the stand that had the bowl on it, sending the bowl flying up against the wall. It shattered into pieces as it made contact with the wall, falling to the ground.

Draco's eyes blazed furiously as he pictured his father, saying those words. He then imagined Riley, and he suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotions, the biggest being confusion. He backed up and sat down on the couch facing the fireplace, leaning over and setting his elbows on his knees, his head rested on his wrists. He forced himself to breathe normally, but on the inside, he was shaking from so many different feelings wrestling around inside of him. He felt like a tornado, out of control with no set destination in mind.

What was it about Riley that made him feel like this, that caused him to defy his father? He'd never done that. What was it about this girl? Memories flooded to Lucius's mind, images of the woman that he had known while in school, and then after. Brown air fell across the woman's shoulder, her blue eyes filled with life and a happiness that filled him with warmth. He closed his eyes briefly, only to open them and think, _Like father, like son, apparently._ His gaze hardened as he thought, _Hopefully, things turn out better for him than they did for me._

* * *

A/N:THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	25. Chapter 23: The Second Task

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Twenty-three: My Precious

* * *

"Okay, this is _insane!_" Cedric said through clenched, chattering teeth as the five Champions made their way down from the castle, the teachers that surrounded them being the only thing that kept them safe from the hundreds of students that watched and cheered. Cedric was in his shorts and skin-tight shirt, holding onto himself as he shivered from the frosty February air. "Is it cold out here to anyone else?"

"Zat iz an underztatmen'," Fleur said, also clinging onto her body in an attempt to block the cold.

"Come on, guys," Riley said with a smile. She was wearing a black one-piece swimsuit with her leather vest on, not even bothering to wear shorts. She was smiling normally, as though nothing was wrong. She held her hands out to the side, spinning in a circle while smiling energetically. "This weather is _perfect_!"

"It's thirty-one degrees out, we're going to go jump in a lake, and you consider this _perfect_?" Cedric asked in disbelief as he looked at Riley as though she was a seal.

"Of course," Riley said, spinning around happily.

Harry tried hard not to laugh at Riley as they walked. He'd never seen her in such a good mood. Her swimsuit left her shoulder blades and most of her back completely exposed, Harry knew, but it was blocked to the wind by her vest, which she had zipped right up until under her chest, the color of her vest matching her swimsuit. Still, her hair was up for the second time since Harry had met her, and she didn't seem to notice the frosty air outside.

"You're insane, you know that?" Harry asked, though only half-teasing.

Riley laughed and shoved Harry playfully with her shoulder, causing him to stagger sidewalks and cause their fellow Champions to laugh in amusement. Even Fleur, who rarely showed any sort of affection for her fellow Champions, laughed in amusement.

"Riley," an annoying voice suddenly said, one that all five Champions recognized.

Riley and Harry stopped to turn and look at Rita Skeeter, who was standing on the sidelines with her quill, her parchment, and her extremely annoying smirk. There was a floating camera that took a picture of Riley and Harry, and Rita asked, "Mind if I have a word with the two of you before you head down to the next Task?"

"Rita," Riley said in a pleasant voice that surprised Harry after the encounter a week ago with Rita's article. The other Champions stopped and turned around, looking as surprised as Harry felt. They'd all seen Riley's outburst, and Fleur and Cedric had been holding copies of the Daily Prophet when they'd combusted all of a sudden, so watching Riley be so nice to Rita was a surprise, until they heard what she had to say. Riley went on to say in a pleasant voice, "There are about two _dozen_ words that I would love to say to you right now, none of which I would dare risk being written by a supposedly family-friendly newspaper like spending even five seconds in your presence." With that, she turned and walked off, not bothering to say anything else.

Harry and the other Champions laughed, all of them impressed by the fact that Riley had managed to say what they'd all been thinking and feeling since they'd first met Rita Skeeter. What surprised Harry and Cedric, however, was the completely carefree way that she spoke, as though there were no cheerier a topic in the world than insulting the most popular tabloid writer in the wizarding world.

"Way to take the high road, huh, Riley?" Cedric laughed.

Riley smiled and turned around, walking backward. Harry was surprised by the look of mischief in her eyes, as well as a daringness that he had grown to like in her, but had rarely seen. There was an almost arrogant edge to her tone as she said with a smirk, "Something about this weather just puts me in a _really _good mood."

"No kidding," Viktor said, smiling knowingly. "You 'ave gone _inzane_."

"_Yep!_" Riley yipped as she abruptly turned on her heel and continued walking down the way, as though it were just another day at the park.

Riley heard Harry get called away by someone, but didn't bother to stop as she and the others continued on their way down to the dock. In spite of her good mood, she was kind of worried, considering that she had no idea where Aria was. Aria would never miss this.

All of a sudden, Riley heard Harry hiss under his breath, "What? They've got... they've got _Ron_?"

Riley focused her hearing on Harry and whoever he was talking to, and she heard a squeaky voice say, "The thing Harry Potter will miss most! 'But past an hour...'"

"'The prospect's black,'" Riley heard Harry recite.

Riley's eyes widened in alarm as she and Harry said at the same time, "Too late, it's gone, it won't come back." _Aria! _She thought wildly. _They've got Aria! The merpeople have her!_ "Guys," Riley whispered to the other Champions. "They've got our friends!"

"What?" Cedric whispered in confusion.

"The people we'll miss most," Riley explained. "That's who they have down there."

"Are you zure?" Viktor asked in confusion.

Riley nodded and said, "Positive."

"'Ow do you know?" Fleur asked, confused.

"Just trust me," Riley whispered.

The group continued down to the doc with the judges, McGonagall, Percy Weasley and Bagman. Riley was unzipping her vest and dropping it on the dock, revealing her black swimsuit, when she saw Harry run onto the dock.

"Harry," Riley said in surprise.

"I'm... here..." Harry panted, skidding to a halt in the mud and accidentally splattering Fleur's robes as she pulled them off.

"Where have you been?" Percy exclaimed in disapproval. "The task's about to start!"

"Ease off, Percy," Riley said firmly, her mood growing slightly worse for the first time that day.

"Now, now, Percy!" said Ludo Bagman, agreeing with Riley. "Let him catch his breath."

Dumbledore smiled at Harry, but Karkaroff and Madame Maxime didn't look at all pleased to see him. It was obvious from the look son their faces that they had thought he wasn't going to turn up. Riley rolled her eyes in disbelief.

Riley stretched her arms, and then picked up her wand from where her vest lay. Slater walked up beside her, his expression serious and all-business as he asked, "You got this under control? You know what you're going to do?"

Riley smiled knowingly up at Slater, a strange look in her eyes as she said, "For once in your life, Slater, trust me. Water is my bread and butter."

Slater smiled and rolled his eyes as he walked away, leaving Riley alone. Riley took her wand and placed it against her back, inside of the back of her swimsuit, between her back and the fabric. She then waited with her hands on her hips as the others got ready. She blinked in surprise when she saw Harry doubling over and gasping, trying to breathe.

"Harry?" Riley asked nervously.

Bagman whispered something to Harry, and when Harry nodded, Bagman gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze and returned to the judge's table. He pointed his wand at his throat and said, "_Sonorus!_" and his voice boomed out across the dark water toward the stands.

"Well, all of our Champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One... two... _three_!"

The whistle echoed shrilly in the cold, still air. The stands erupted with cheers and applause. Without looking to see what the other Champions were doing, Riley kicked off her shoes and dove into the water skillfully. She opened her eyes and pulled her wand out from behind her back. She then waved it over herself and began reciting a Transfiguration spell.

"_Adaewyuop e mare, orior oriri ortus._"

All of a sudden, Riley's body began to change form. She felt every piece of her body begin to shape shift, her hands growing wider and flatter, her head changing form completely. She could suddenly breathe underwater, and her legs seemed to melt into one. Riley smiled to herself, and she felt herself let out an strange sound, the sound of a dolphin. Riley was a dolphin!

Riley suddenly took off through the water, letting out cries. She felt strange, being able to sense where everything was in the water, what she was seeing. Her vision wasn't as clear as it had been before, but compared to the other things that she now had, it was worth it. The water didn't feel icy now, but perfect temperature. She began swimming all over the place, enjoying the feeling of being a fish. Then, suddenly remembering the task, Riley took off, crying out everywhere in an attempt to come across the merpeople, and Aria.

After what seemed like forever, but was really only twenty minutes, Riley caught sight of something, a dark movement. She began to follow the movement, only to see a group of merpeople huddled together. She blinked in surprise when she realized that they were nothing the fairytales that people told of in America. In fact, they were quite hideous, ugly looking to the flesh. Even with her vague eyesight, she could tell that they weren't pretty, but mean.

Three of the merpeople suddenly came swimming forward, holding up spears in threat. They looked at her, and Riley waited patiently. Finally, one of the merpeople said, "Go on, but only take one."

Riley began swimming forward, wondering what the merpeople were talking about. Then, as she swam for another fifty feet, she saw it. She saw what she'd come to find, the lost treasures.

Tied to long pieces of kelp were five people: Ron, Hermione, Cho Chang, a young blonde girl that Riley guessed was Fleur's sister, and Aria. Riley raced after Aria and clamped her dolphin teeth around the kelp. Aria began to float upward, and Riley hesitated, looking back at the other captives. She was about to race after Hermione, when one of the merpeople raced up and pointed a glowing, obviously magical spear at her.

"Only one," the merperson said darkly. Riley hesitated, cringing in annoyance, and then began to swim upward, guiding Aria toward the surface.

All of a sudden, a creature that looked somewhere between a dolphin, a shark and a human came swimming forward. It had the human chest, but it had a shark head and a dolphin's dorsal fin and tail. It had narrowed, ugly eyes and shark teeth when it spoke. Riley didn't recognize the creature, even from all of the books she'd read.

"Get out of my way!" Riley cried out, and then realized that she was speaking in dolphin, not human.

"Where do you think you're going?" the creature mocked Riley.

"Back to the surface," Riley responded, surprised that the creature could understand her.

"No you're not," the creature sneered, then said in surprise, "You didn't think that those creatures were the only ones to worry about, did you?"

"What are you?" Riley cried out.

"I am a dolphinian," the creature cried. "The _real_ magical dolphin." All of a sudden, he pointed his spear forward and there was a blast of magic that shot Riley backward. She shook her head, completely thrown by surprise, and when she looked around for Aria, whom she'd released accidentally, she saw that her friend was floating upward toward the surface. Riley narrowed her eyes back at the dolphinian, who sent another attack at her, Riley having barely enough time to dodge.

"Don't think that you can escape that easily!" the dolphinian sneered. "Down here, I don't need spells. You're in _my_ world." There was another blast of magic that hit Riley in the shoulder and sent her flying back at least thirty feet, crying in pain.

_Damn it, _Riley thought bitterly. _I'm getting attacked here, and I can't do anything in this form. I need to change back._ "_Ostendit!_" Riley cried out, and she felt her body suddenly begin to change form again. Within a few seconds, she was back in her human form, her wand in her hand. She pointed the wand at the dolphinian and thought, _Relashio!_

The spell went flying through the water and sent the dolphinian flying backward, clearly caught by surprise. Riley then looked up and saw Aria's body rising further and further up. She raised her wand and yelled with her last breath of air, "_Aquius tempest!_"

All of a sudden, a tornado began to spiral from beneath Riley, separating the water from around her neck and up away from her, giving her air to breathe. It then suddenly thrust her upward, sending her right up under Aria, which gave her just enough time to grab Aria before the tornado shot them up out of the water. Riley then felt the two of them come crashing down, hitting the dock with incredible force that sent a huge shock through her body.

"Ow!" Riley moaned from the pain, coughing up water that had filled her lungs.

"Riley!" a voice yelled in panic, though Riley didn't recognize it.

Riley's eyes were filled with water and still adjusting to being back in human form. She looked around and saw Aaron and Jake from Silvergates running over in surprise, kneeling down beside her. "Good job!" Jake exclaimed.

"Are you all right?" Aaron asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Riley rasped. "Just... broken..."

"Honestly, can you not get through a single task without breaking every bone in your body?" Jake asked worriedly, looking Riley over. He pulled his wand out and pointed it at Riley's open wound on her left shoulder. "_Os reparo_."

A moment later, the skin began to regenerate and heal itself on her shoulder. Riley felt the bones in her shoulder begin to work themselves back into one solid form instead of being splintered all over the place. Riley gasped in pain as she felt the bones work, but afterward, she felt grateful to Jake for his incredible ability with healing magics.

Riley forced a smile, in spite of her body still aching. "Thanks, Jake," she muttered. "This is why we brought you along." She winced as she began to move.

"Mmm," Aria muttered as she began to come to.

"Aria?" Riley asked worriedly.

"Gosh, Riley!" Aria exclaimed as she hit Riley in the arm, surprising everyone. She grabbed at her head and asked impatiently, "Couldn't you have landed a little softer?"

"I'm glad to see you, too," Riley said sarcastically, smiling knowingly.

Aria smiled and looked around, asking, "How did you guys do?"

Riley looked around and saw Cedric and Cho Chang drying off, and she shrugged as she said, "I guess I didn't get first, since they're here already."

"Hey, you made it back before most of the others," Jake pointed out. "Cedric's the only one that's gotten back, and you did it within the time limits."

"Nice piece of Transfiguration down there, by the way," a voice said from behind Riley. Riley looked up to see Cedric walking over, a towel wrapped around him. He handed one to Riley and Aria, smiling at Riley as he said, "I saw you fighting that weird looking creature down there, when you had to transform back. I got back just a minute before you did."

"You," Riley rasped, trying to calm down. "You got back first, though. Good job."

"This is why we brought you along," Aaron said, smiling at Riley. "You're amazing at Transfiguration, the only one of us who can completely transfigure themselves."

"Yeah, well, I'm going to feel it later," Riley muttered, feeling the bruises in her shoulder already.

Riley suddenly heard water splash and turned her head to see Viktor's head emerge from the water. Riley looked around and suddenly realized that the crowd had been cheering wildly when she'd gotten out of the water. She hadn't even noticed, due to the hacking and gasping, but now she felt embarrassed, and she wasn't sure why, but she wondered how Rita Skeeter was going to twist this.

Viktor led Hermione, who had come to as soon as they reached the surface, over to the dock. His head, which had been in the form of a shark after using Transfiguration, but not completing it like Riley had, was now returning to its human shape. When they reached the dock, Hermione looked around, choking up water as she asked, "Riley?"

"Yeah," Riley said awkwardly, still gathering her strength.

"Where are Ron and Harry?"

"I don't know," Riley admitted. "They haven't come up yet."

Riley suddenly heard a loud gasp and saw Fleur come out of the water, gasping for air as she flailed in panic. Riley moved over to the edge of the dock and reached out with one hand to her. Fleur grabbed onto her hand and Riley pulled her over to the dock. Fleur stumbled out, completely confused, and Riley asked, "Where's your sister?"

"I, I couzn't find her," Fleur said, shaking her head, almost in tears. "Zose grindylow, ze attacked me... I couzn't... I couzn't..." She wasn't suddenly stood up and looked around in panic. "Is Gabrielle 'ere?"

"Not yet," Hermione said awkwardly.

It seemed like forever, everyone waiting for Harry to return with his hostage. Within a few minutes, they were all wrapped in warm blankets and being checked out by Madam Pomfrey, who had been extremely impressed with Jake's healing magics. He helped out, only for everyone to stop what they were doing when they heard another set of gasps.

Riley spun around and her eyes widened when she saw Harry slowly making his way out of the water, dragging not one, but two people with him. Riley blinked in surprise when she recognized Ron and Fleur's sister. As soon as they hit the surface, they all began gasping, as the spell on Ron and the girl was now broken, the spell that had kept them alive.

"Harry!" Riley said brightly in relief.

Ron looked at Harry after coughing up some water, and then said, "Wet, this, isn't it?" Ron blinked in surprise when he spotted Fleur's sister. "What did you bring her for?"

"Fleur didn't turn up," Harry explained. "I couldn't leave her."

"Harry, you prat," said Ron in disbelief. "You didn't take that song thing seriously, did you? Dumbledore wouldn't have let any of us drown!"

"The song said-"

"It was only to make sure that you got back inside the time limit!" said Ron. "I hope you didn't waste time down there acting like the hero."

Harry scowled, and Riley felt bad for him. Ron had no idea what it was like to be down there, how eerie those waters felt and how strange it was to face the merpeople and creatures of the lake. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the uncertainty, not knowing what was going on with their friends.

A moment later, they pulled Fleur's sister through the water, back to the dock where the judges stood watching, twenty merpeople accompanying them like a guard of honor, singing their horrible screechy songs.

Riley was now standing with Aria, watching as Dumbledore and Bagman stood beaming at Harry and Ron from the dock. Riley watched with amusement as Fleur broke free from Madam Maxime's hold and ran over to her sister, reaching out to her.

"Gabrielle! Gabrielle! Is she alive? Is she 'urt?"

"She's fine!" Harry tried to tell her, but it was clear that he was exhausted. Riley walked over and reached out with a hand to help him onto the dock, while Percy seized Ron and dragged him back to the bank. Dumbledore and Bagman waited as Riley helped Harry to stand upright, and Riley immediately called Madam Pomfrey over to get Harry. Meanwhile, Fleur was hanging on tightly to her little sister, as though afraid that she would die at any second.

"Harry, well done!" Hermione cried. "You did it, you found out how all by yourself!"

"Well-" Harry began, and Riley knew that he was thinking about the squeaky person that he'd been talking to before, the way that she'd learned about who they were going after.

Krum walked over to Hermione and said, "You haff a water beetle in your hair, Herm-own-ninny."

Riley rolled her eyes in disbelief. It was clear that Viktor liked Hermione, but he didn't have to be this obvious and jealous.

Hermione frowned and said, "You're well outside the time limit, though, Harry... Did it take you ages to find us?"

Harry shook his head, but only said, "No... I found you okay..."

Riley frowned, wondering if he'd gotten there before her, and if he would have made it back first, had he not waited for both Ron and Gabrielle. She guessed he was feeling rather stupid right now.

Dumbledore walked over and said, "A conference before we give the marks, I think."

Fleur suddenly ran over and knelt down beside Harry and Ron. "You saved 'er. Even though she was not your 'ostage."

"Yeah," said Harry, though he looked like he had a mind full of questions to say.

Riley couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Fleur kiss both Harry and Ron on the cheek, both boys turning a deep shade of red in embarrassment.

A few moments later, Dumbledore and the rest of the judges made their way out, and Bagman began to speak through his wand again. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champion, as follows...

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points."

Applause from the stands.

"I deserved zero," said Fleur throatily, shaking her magnificent head.

"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour." Enormous cheers from the Hufflepuffs in the crowd. Riley couldn't help but notice Cho's proud and glowing look as she looked at Cedric. "We therefore award him forty-seven points."

Riley let out a sigh, trying to maintain her cool. If Cedric had come outside of the time limit, so had they all.

"Riley O'Malley, who did an excellent job Transfiguring herself into a dolphin," Bagman continued to say, "Was the first to arrive at the goal and retrieve her hostage, but was attacked by a dolphinian and was injured in the process. Nonetheless, she made her way back with her hostage, though it was within two minutes after the time limit. For this, we award forty-three points."

Riley let out a shaky sigh and lowered her head, feeling exhausted and relieved. She could hear the cheers rip through the crowd, and she could just imagine her friends up there, cheering her on.

"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was third to return with his hostage, next to Riley O'Malley. We award him forty points."

Karkaroff clapped particularly hard, looking very superior standing there, in spite of the fact that Riley had done better than him.

Bagman went on to say, "Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect. He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."

Riley all but laughed when she saw Ron and Hermione look at Harry in shock and dismay.

Bagman continued to say, "_Most_ of the judges," he glared at Karkaroff, "feel that this shows moral fiber and merits full marks. However... Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."

Riley saw the same astonishment that she'd felt in Harry's face. She, Harry and Cedric all shared looks. Harry and Cedric were tied for first, and Riley was right behind them in second place!

Fleur was clapping hard, too, and Krum looked as though he wasn't happy, but had accepted it.

"The third task will be held in two months," Bagman said as he glanced between the Champions. "This is the newest task that we have come up with, and the headmasters will be giving their Champions their clues in exactly one week from today. Thank you all for your support of the Champions."

Riley closed her eyes and let out a sigh of relief. It was over. She couldn't believe it. The second task was over. She had two months, two months before the next form of torture began. Riley looked at the others, and they all seemed to be feeling the same sense of overwhelming relief. They were half-way done with the Tournament.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	26. Chapter 24: Midnight Stroll

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-four: Midnight Stroll

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Riley was lying down in her bed, turning something silver over in her fingertips. It was the ring that she'd picked up some time ago, the day that she'd been pulled into the Black Penetro. She'd kept a hold of the ring, and had looked at it every night before falling to sleep. It had black marks etched into the ring, but she couldn't understand what they said. She'd thought they were Latin at first, but as she looked closer, she couldn't understand a word of it. Still, something about the ring felt so familiar that Riley felt that she could have screamed from annoyance.

Suddenly feeling the need to get up and do something, Riley pulled herself out of her bed and pulled her jersey off, setting it by her pillow. She picked up a white tanktop and her jeans and pulled them on, not even bothering to grab her vest as she grabbed her shoes and walked out of the dorm, heading out of the castle.

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Riley let out a sigh as she closed her eyes, craning her head back and allowing for the cold February night air to blow across her face. She was standing at the top of the hill, about a hundred feet away from the castle, and yet high enough uphill that she was able to look down and see everything, Hagrid's cabin (though she'd never actually had a conversation with the man), the woods, and mountains in the far distance, along with a large body of water.

She couldn't explain it, but there was something about the cold air that relaxed Riley. Where most people found the weather frigid and aggravating, Riley found comfort and relaxation. Riley stood in place, looking out at the moon as it shown over the Hogwarts ground. Riley smiled, closing her eyes as she felt the wind blow directly against her face, and she couldn't help but feel as though that wind had been specifically for her, to make her feel better.

Riley had never been superstitious, or what she would call harmonious about anything, but she did feel something about natural power sources, a harmonious balance between all of them that she found relaxing. Being in nature, the water, the wind, all of it. The only one that she couldn't find peace with was fire, and Riley's fear of it had only grown recently. Oh, she could handle a fire in a fireplace fine, but her dreams still haunted her. Every night, she dreamed of her parents, fighting for their lives and dying. She couldn't explain how she knew what they were feeling, or how she knew what had happened, but she knew that what she was experiencing the past, and for some reason, the dreams wouldn't leave.

"Riley."

Riley turned her head and smiled as Dumbledore walked over, his hands folded behind his back. He smiled at Riley in a friendly way, his eyes twinkling and reflecting the moonlight. "Strange time for a young person such as yourself to be awake," Dumbledore said, sounding surprised.

Riley shook her head and looked up at the moon. "No, not really. I find it comforting to be out here at this time, particularly when I'm alone. Something about this time of night makes me think, and tends to invoke a wiser side of my brain than during the day, when I'm surrounded by people, personalities, and unfocused emotions. It's like my brain thinks more clearly at this time of the day, when I can think and not be conflicted. This is the time of day when more answers come to me than questions, for better or for worse. And I like the quiet."`

Dumbledore chuckled and admitted, "Me, too. Although, I would guess that it's the wolf in you that makes you think so clearly."

Riley chuckled and said, "Oh, I'm sure it is. Amazing how, when you spend enough time in a form, you begin to feel the way that that animal does, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes," Dumbledore said, nodding in agreement. "I've spent much time in other forms myself."

"Really?" Riley asked with interest. "Such as?"

"I've been an eagle before," Dumbledore said, "As well as a lion and a fox."

"A fox?" Riley asked in surprise, smiling in amusement. "Why a fox?"

"Well, it was actually a dare that I'd lost," Dumbledore said, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I told a friend of mine that if I could get a young lady to go the ball with me, that he would have to turn himself into a chicken and run around the castle until someone tried to fry him. He said that if I was turned down, I had to turn myself into a fox. Well, long story short, I ended up running from a great deal many first-year girls who thought that I was just too adorable as a fox."

Riley chuckled and looked away as Dumbledore laughed as well. "So you were the womanizer when you were younger," she teased him.

Dumbledore thought about it and then said, "I tried to be, anyway." He hesitated, and then asked, "How are you enjoying the Tournament so far?"

Riley shrugged and said, "The Tournament, I can handle, it's everything that's happened _outside_ of the Tournament that I could live without."

"Meaning?" Dumbledore asked with intrigue.

Riley frowned and said, "Things like Harry getting thrown in, a great mystery surrounding who would want to hurt him, feeling Voldemort's power growing greater all of the time, and then there was the fiendfyre, and having to adjust to being moved from Gryffindor's tower to Slytherin's, _with_ the Gryffindors."

"How is that, by the way?" Dumbledore asked curiously. "I don't hear much from the Gryffindors, Professor McGonogall or Professor Snape on the housing arrangements."

"Well, _I_ don't mind," Riley said, smiling as she thought about it as she held her hands behind her back. "But walking through the common room is like being electrocuted in the ocean: _very_ unpleasant, and a little annoying."

"Understandable," Dumbledore chuckled. "Slytherin and Gryffindor haven't gotten along very well since I went to school here."

Riley shook her head and frowned as she said, "It's _stupid_, is what it is."

Dumbledore shrugged and said, "True, but I can understand both sides to it." He frowned and said, "I've been doing a lot of considering and thinking recently." Riley didn't have to ask or even look at Dumbledore to know what he was referring to. Dumbledore frowned, his eyes deepening as he said, "I know that thoughts of the past and present have been plaguing my mind as well on the subject of what great event is coming, of what darkness lies in our castle, waiting to attack innocents."

"I've noticed," Riley said, thinking as she looked out over the fields. She hesitated, and then said, "Professor, I have a question to ask you."

"Oh?" Dumbledore asked, raising an eyebrow in genuine curiosity.

Riley nodded and pulled something out of her jeans pocket. It was the ring she'd been handling earlier that night. She held it out in the palm of her hand and said, "I came across this ring the day I was in the Black Penetro. In fact, it was in the Black Penetro, the thing that got me to walk over and fall into it."

Dumbledore took the ring from Riley, turning it over in his hands. "Ah, I see," he said, sounding surprised.

"What is it?" Riley asked curiously. "Do you know? I thought those words were Latin, but-"

"They're not Latin," Dumbledore observed as he shook his head and continued to stare at the ring, "But I _do_ recognize the ring."

"Really?" Riley asked, sounding surprised.

Dumbledore nodded and said, "Oh, yes. I've seen it enough in the portraits that I've seen of Rowena and Rona Ravenclaw. Each girl had one on their finger, exactly like this."

"You think that this is a Ravenclaw ring?" Riley asked in alarm and surprise.

Dumbledore looked closely at the words and said, "I have no doubt. Legend has it - or so I've been told - that the Ravenclaws passed down a token of their heritage - a special ring - to their descendants; the female ones, that is. I also _personally_ remember this ring as belonging to _your_ mother."

"My _mom?_" Riley asked in surprise, looking at the ring in an entirely new light.

Dumbledore nodded and said, "Yes, she wore this ring for many years, until it disappeared during her sixth year, presumed to have been stolen. Helen blamed herself and was terribly angry about it for the longest time, seeing it as a sign of her incompetence and weakness as a witch. She treasured it above all of her other possessions."

All of a sudden, Riley knew where she'd seen the ring. In her earliest dreams, her mother had been wearing the ring on her finger, but in the later ones, it had been gone. That's why it hadn't made sense to Riley how she recognized it. She hadn't seen it a night since the first night. Something must have happened to her dreams to have put it there when it went disappearing long before that dream had taken place. It must have been intentionally put into her dreams, to taunt her and distract her.

"My mom wore this ring," Riley said in awe, looking at the ring. She narrowed her eyes and asked in confusion, "Then what are these words?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows and said, "Well, since they weren't etched into any of the rings until Rona passed it on to her descendants, I would assume that they are Parstletongue."

"Snake language?" Riley asked in surprise. "Snakes have an alphabet _and _a written language?"

"I wouldn't know," Dumbledore said, holding his hand out to Riley, the ring still on his hand. "But this ring, by birthright, is yours."

Riley hesitated, and then reached back out for the ring. She took it and held it in her fingertips. She then asked, "How could I have stumbled upon this ring if it had been stolen? Surely the entire campus would have been checked for it."

"Oh, it was," Dumbledore agreed. "My guess is that one of the students stole it; and has now planted it, wanting to use it as bait to get you to fall into the Black Penetro. I can't imagine why they would want that, except maybe to throw your attention off. Still, this is yours. Keep it."

Riley hesitated, then set the ring on her right ring finger. Somehow, it felt natural there, as though her finger had been waiting a long time to feel it there. She smiled, feeling somewhat more at ease now that she knew that the ring had belonged to her mother, making her feel like more of a part of her mother.

Riley remained silent for a moment before staring at the etchings. A thought came to her, and she whispered under her breath, "_Show me your secrets, ring of Ravenclaw._" The words were whispered in a hissing sound, her words changing to that of Parstletongue. She had spoken to snakes many times since her encounter with them when she was younger, and she knew exactly what to say for each English word. As she suspected, the etchings began to change form, until they were in English and she got the chance to read them as clearly as though it was one of her textbooks. She didn't say the words aloud, but the look on her face was unmistakably one of recognition.

Dumbledore's eyes filled with pride and satisfaction when he saw the look on Riley's face. "It's good to know that you can find a way to understand what it is that your ancestors left you. Oddly enough, in all of the portraits that you

Riley scoffed, staring at the ring as she said, "Probably because Rona was the first Parstlemouth in the family." Dumbledore blinked calmly, and Riley slipped the ring into her pants pocket. She looked up at Dumbledore as she said, "The stories claim that Rona had something of an accident when she was a young student, an accident very similar to the one that got me expelled. Interesting, how one ancestor can have such a similar accident as their descendent. Anyway," she said as she shook her head, "It was caused by the fact that her emotions translated to the snake as a command, just as mine did. She was disowned by her family, and kicked out onto the streets because she was thought to have disgraced them. No one knows where she went or what happened between the time she was expelled and when she appeared in America with Salazar Slytherin, and the other founders of Silvergates."

Dumbledore's eyes filled with amusement as he commented, "I find it interesting that you set Salazar Slytherin apart from 'the other founders of Silvergates.'" Riley blushed, smiling slightly as she looked to the side. Dumbledore's eyes contained knowledge and understanding, and he said with a nod, "That would make sense, out of a lot of things. You're doing a marvelous job in the Tournament, by the way," Dumbledore added sincerely, changing the subject. "You've surprised us all – Slater, too – with how talented and knowledgeable you are. You remind me a great deal of-"

"Hermione Granger?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I know. I've heard that from pretty much every student here at Hogwarts, how I remind them of Hermione, but I don't think I'm any better than Hermione. She's incredible, so determined and smart." She shook her head and looked down, saying awkwardly, "I don't think it's even right to compare the two of us."

"Actually," Dumbledore said, sounding sympathetic, "I was going to say that you remind me of your mother."

Riley looked up at Dumbledore in surprise, and she stared at him for several moments before asking, "What was she like?"

Dumbledore smiled and looked out at the moon before saying, "A great deal like you, actually; at least, she _sounds_ a lot like you, from everything I've heard and seen of you. She was also a Slytherin girl, only for Hogwarts instead of Silvergates. She, too, was from English heritage, whereas your father was from American. They didn't like one another at first." He chuckled and added with conviction, "Not at all. In fact, even though your parents were the same age and in the same year, the only thing that they shared in common was their friends. Helen had a very level head, especially considering that she grew up under the influence of Lucius Malfoy; they were very close friends, and she carried great influence with the popular students. In fact, the only students that I would say she didn't get along with were Drake Black and his sister, Bellatrix." He saw Riley's eyes flash angrily, and Dumbledore nodded as he said, "Yes, I know how you feel about her, but I wasn't trying to make you angry. Anyway, I always found Helen very interesting, as did everyone else," he said with an amused and interested voice, only to continue to say, "She was always very popular; everyone loved her and revered her, even though she didn't hold the same values that everyone else in Slytherin did. She didn't care whether you were a Pureblood or half-blood or Muggleborn, only about you as a person. She wasn't afraid to show it, and never afraid to defend the Muggleborns when a Pureblood would disrespect them, call them terrible names." Dumbledore looked at Riley and said, "She was a lot like how we see you."

Riley smiled, trying to hold it together as she imagined her mother, the same woman that she'd seen in her dreams, at fifteen and daring, not afraid to stand up to her friends or anyone. She could just imagine her walking through the castle, robes flowing from her as she walked with a confidence that caught the attention of everyone who walked past, not even knowing the affect she was having on them.

Dumbledore seemed to read Riley's thoughts and said, "She was one of the most beautiful girls in the school, the girl that all of the boys wanted. Yet in her entire seven years here, she only ever dated two people, one of whom was your father. Even so, she didn't start seeing _him_ until her sixth year, not long after she and her first boyfriend broke up. She was the smartest and most powerful witch in her year, and she had a sense of justice about her that she refused to let get compromised for any reason. Everyone accepted that about her, that she was different and had her own opinions. None of them seemed to care, similar to how Draco Malfoy (the mention of his name made Riley's head turn toward Dumbledore, her eyes wide in alarm, and Dumbledore smiled) doesn't seem to mind that you're friends with Harry, Ron and Hermione, and you don't seem to judge him for his views on Purebloods versus non-Purebloods." He then said, "Or the way that Fred Weasley ignores the fact that you hang out with Draco, all because he cares about you as a friend." Riley didn't say anything, but looked forward again. Dumbledore smiled in amusement, and went on to say, "Your mother, like you, was a master of Transfigurations, but she _cared_ more about Defense Against the Dark Arts. She involved herself in a Dueling Club in her Second Year and on, rivaling everyone in her year and above, even Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. By the time that Lucius had graduated, she was stronger than he was, able to defeat him in any duel, even though she was only a Fourth Year then. She was the Keeper of her Quidditch team, and also played as a Chaser in a few games, surprised everyone by how good of a flier she was. She became an unregistered Animagus before she was of age, just like you, but _she_ chose to become a tiger."

"_That's_ why my Patronus is a tiger," Riley said in awe, somewhat relieved and happy at the same time.

Dumbledore nodded. "It's very possible. Harry's Patronus is a stag because that's the type of Animagus his father was."

"What about _my_ father?" Riley asked, holding onto every word that Dumbledore said as though they were the only thing keeping her alive.

Dumbledore seemed to understand how important it was for Riley to hear this, and he said, "Well, he wasn't what I'd call arrogant, but he was definitely hot-headed, allowed his temper to get the best of him on more than one occasion." He chuckled and added, "Interestingly enough, it was your mother that usually got him to unleash his anger and power, before they became friends and partners. I guess that you could say he was a cross between the Weasley twins and Harry; got himself intro plenty of trouble and was something of a trouble maker."

"Like Harry's father?" Riley asked curiously.

Dumbledore nodded. "Oh, yes. James and Stephen spent a great deal of time together, even though Stephen was actually closer friends with Remus Lupin. He was also a Quidditch player, Gryffindor's Keeper. He was one of the players that helped train James in how to be a good Seeker, although James caught onto a lot of it naturally. Difference was that James became quite arrogant about his abilities and the way he saw himself with the ladies. James chased after girls, but primarily two during his time at Hogwarts. Stephen was more of a romantic; serious about his relationships all the way through. He never went after a girl that he wasn't willing to stick it out with, or willing to give it his all with. In fact, he only ever dated two women while at Hogwarts. He saw women as a destination, not like James who saw them as the chase. Stephen had just as much talent on the field and with a wand as James, but James got all of the glory because he was, quite frankly, the Seeker. He was the free spirit, the one who was willing to get wild and out of control, which Stephen was willing to do, but not as quickly as James. James caught everyone's attention by natural force; unlike Stephen, who did a combination of that same force and earning."

"You sound like you liked them," Riley said, smiling up at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded. "I did. I was very fond of your parents, just as fond as I was very fond of Harry's." His eyes danced in laughter as he said, "Helen was a complete revelation to me, a person unlike any I'd ever encountered before. To me, at the time, Slytherins were just like the Gryffindors view them now: Purebloods who saw themselves as more than they were. Helen was the opposite. She was, in fact, a Pureblood, but she never cared about herself more than other people, even if she didn't like them. That got her into a lot of trouble in her time here at Hogwarts: her determination to stand up for those weaker than herself. She was powerful, but did nothing but support others in their quest for power. She was extremely caring and careful, but she never let herself get trampled over by people who wished to abuse her kindness, either. She had no issue with breaking the rules, but was the first to point out others when they were cruel to one another, and instantly brought them down with her overwhelmingly stronger powers. She was a walking contradiction, through and through."

"Until she died," Riley said, running her hand over the leather bracelet around her wrist.

Dumbledore looked at Riley and said, "Your parents were wonderful people, Riley. Don't question that for a second just because of your dreams."

"I don't," Riley said, looking down. "I know quite a bit about my parents, but what I know comes mainly from when they were older; from the events surrounding their deaths. I have no memories of them, other than what these dreams keep telling me, and even those aren't accurate. I have to build my knowledge and affections toward them on those dreams, and that knowledge, alone. I know what I _want_ to do, I know what I feel, but I don't know much about them as people."

"Riley," Dumbledore said gently, "You are a great witch; one of the brightest I've ever seen, and that includes your mother _and _Hermione Granger." Riley looked at Dumbledore in surprise, as though he was a madman, but she said nothing as he continued. Dumbledore looked at Riley with clear, firm eyes as he said, "But you have to let these dreams go."

"How can I?" Riley asked, confused. "They just keep coming, and I can't stop them. I don't even-"

"I don't believe that these dreams are being forced upon you anymore, Riley," Dumbledore said, surprising Riley. He blinked and said, "I've been watching you for some time now, since you first came to me. The fear is still there when you fall asleep, but there is also longing and intrigue."

"There's something wrong with missing and wanting my parents?" Riley asked, confused.

"No," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "What's wrong is clinging onto a past that you cannot touch. You see what's been shown to you, the event of your parents' death, and you can no longer move on past it. You may be afraid of the fiend fire, but you now feel a connection with it, a connection greater than fear. You see fire, and you think of your parents. That's all you think about, and so I believe that you actually _want_ the dreams to continue."

"That's insane," Riley argued, shaking her head.

"No," Dumbledore said, shaking his head again. "That's _love_." Riley looked up at him with confused, sad eyes, and Dumbledore said, "You will never know your parents in the way that you should have been able to, and I understand that your natural reaction would be to cling onto whatever you can of them, but you barely sleep anymore because the dreams scare you as much as they intrigue you. It's not healthy for you physically or emotionally, and as long as you emotionally tie yourself to a past that you don't have, you will never be able to move on, and you will never be able to move past your fears."

"How do you suggest that I stop wanting to see my parents every night when I go to sleep?" Riley asked challengingly. "Do you suggest that I stop sleeping?"

"Only _you_ will know the way to answer that," Dumbledore said simply with a nod to Riley. "But you must do it soon, because we need you here, ready to fight if the time comes."

Riley blinked and said nothing, turning her head back to look at the moon. Dumbledore began to walk away, stopping only to look back and say, "You're welcome at Hogwarts at any time, should you decide that you wish to pursue your academic career as a witch here."

Riley closed her eyes and listened as Dumbledore walked off. She wasn't going to leave Silvergates for Hogwarts, but something about his invitation made her relax, tempered only by her irritation at his words. As much as she hated them, she knew they were true, but she had no idea what to do about them.

How could she let go of her parents when she didn't know them? When she _didn't_ _want_ to let go?

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A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	27. Chapter 25: Why?

A/N: I've received a couple of reviews, which makes me glad, but they boil up to one thing, and I'd like some feedback on this: I have a good story, but they don't like Riley. Well, I'm honestly sorry about that, and if there are any recommendations on how to keep her in the story without turning her around completely, I would love to hear it. Thing is, I'm writing a sequel to this story, and I'll be upfront, I'm going to keep my story the way that I want wit, but I am not going to turn down suggestions. While it would be nice to have a lot of positive responses, I'm not publishing this story on here to make everyone happy. I like my story, and it will continue. Number five won't be nearly as much around other people as opposed to Harry, Ron and Hermione (and Ginny) but yeah, it is going to revolve around other people, because there are going to be some people in it that aren't normally in it, and this story is basically a comment on how things would have changed for Harry and friends if other people had come in. I hope that you guys can stick this story out and enjoy it, and I promise that the whole three-way thing with Riley, Draco and Fred will come to an end. She does end up making a decision, but you're seriously going to have to wait it out to see how I incorporate this whole thing into the plot. Now, this chapter isn't so much around Riley as it's around Aria, which I haven't heard any complaints about, so I'm guessing that you guys like her, but in the end, yes, it comments on Riley. This chapter is an explanation of why Aaron, Riley's classmate, chose her. This is honestly going to sound like a big Mary-sue, but I chose to have Riley be that way because she's a big part of this story, but at the same time, she has to appear to be the best, because otherwise there's no point in having her be the Silvergates Champion. That, and the fact that Riley is so great at DADA and Transfigurations is because this character is based off of someone I know, and their favorite class in HP is Transfigurations and DADA, so I had her be great at that. Plus, that, combined with Aria's knack for for Potions (Aria is also based on another person I know) makes for an unbreakable team. I made Riley the way she is, in all reality, because she's supposed to be the person that Harry could have been had things gone differently for him, and if he was a girl, but that's beside the point. That's why I have their pasts so similar, and while it will continue to seem similar, with certain paths crossing. Still, I hope you guys like the concept and way the story is going, and I hope that this has helped to explain things a little better, but I'd like to hear opinions. Please review or send me a pm.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-five: Why?

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"So, do you know anything about the next Task?" Aria asked curiously as she and Riley sat down one of the benches outside of the castle. As they sat down, Aria once again noticed the ring that was on Riley's right ring finger, and had been there for at least a week now. She'd noticed it, but not bothered to ask, because somehow, Riley seemed to be sleeping a little easier each night, as though her dreams were getting less violent. Still, the way that Riley slept so violently still bothered Aria, and she was determined to find out what was causing that.

Riley shook her head and said, "No, not really. All they told us was that we would need to prepare for anything."

"Well, _that's_ not vague or ominous at all," Aria said sarcastically.

"I know," Riley said, rolling her eyes irritably. "That's only been the warning that they've given us for the last two Tasks, so they might as well have not said anything."

Aria turned her head when she heard footsteps and saw Draco Malfoy standing in the hallway of the castle with a bunch of the other Slytherin kids. He looked over and smiled when he saw them, waving to Riley. Riley, who'd also turned her head, nodded back, but said nothing.

Aria frowned as she looked at Riley. "Isn't it awkward for you?"

"For me to do what?" Riley asked, looking back at Aria.

Aria shrugged and said, "That Malfoy kid is a total jerk to just about everyone _but_ you, and the Gryffindors _hate_ him..."

"So _I_ should?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow. Aria blushed slightly, knowing how the question had come across. Riley rolled her eyes and said, "I know that he can be a total jerk, but he's never been one to me, so I see no reason to be mean back."

Aria hesitated, and then asked, "Is that also because you like him?"

Riley looked at Aria as though she'd just turned into a ghost, and she said in disbelief, "Not you, too."

"Well, you spend all of your time with him, and you _did_ dance with him at the Yule Ball," Aria pointed out in her defense.

"Yeah, but I also danced with Fred for four hours, yet everyone only seems to remember the ten minutes that I danced with Draco," Riley said bitterly.

"I didn't say that," Aria said, looking at Riley through serious eyes. "I've had my questions about Fred, too; but right now, I'm just asking about Draco."

"So now you agree with Rita Skeeter that I'm a whore?" Riley asked in disbelief.

"Come off of it, Riley!" Aria exclaimed. "You know that's not true."

Riley frowned, not saying anything for a moment before she finally responded, "What am I supposed to do, Aria? The Tasks are half-way over. I have less than a month until the third one, and then probably two months before the last one. That means that in three months, we'll be going home, and after that, I doubt I'll ever come back to England or see these guys again."

Aria's gaze softened in understanding, knowing exactly what Riley meant. She asked, "Do you like him?"

Riley shrugged and said, "Honestly, I don't know. I'm really trying not to think about it too much, because everyone time I start to, one thing flashes in my mind, and it's the number 3,500."

Aria understood what Riley meant. 3,500 mile relationships probably wouldn't work when there was absolutely no human contact at all involved.

Riley said solemnly, "I'll just be happy when we go home and leave all of this behind."

"Will you?" Aria asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked at her friend.

Riley shrugged again and said, "Probably not, but what's the alternative?"

Aria knew that Riley was right, but it didn't make the truth any easier for herself, and it didn't answer the questions that had been building up in her head over time, questions about Riley, Fred and Draco. Still, she could tell that Riley wasn't thrilled about the idea of talking about this subject, so she changed it.

"Did you ever find out from Aaron why he submitted your name?"

Riley shrugged and said simply, "No."

"Haven't you been thinking about it?" Aria asked in surprise.

Riley shook her head and said carelessly, "Not really. I haven't had a lot of time to think about it."

"It doesn't take a lot of time to think 'Why?'" Aria pointed out.

"Does it ever bother you that things about me tend to bother _you_ more than they do _me?_" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aria said simply, "Never really thought about it. You didn't answer my question, though."

Riley frowned and said, "The way I figure it, Aaron made a decision. It wasn't smart, but hey, I'm still alive and I haven't gotten myself kicked out yet, so I think I'm doing pretty well."

Aria frowned and was about to say something when Riley's digital watch suddenly went off. She looked down at it, then up at Aria and said, "Sorry, Aria, I've got a meeting with Fred in the library to go over his Charms work, and then with Draco after to work with him on Defense Against the Dark Arts." Riley stood up and Aria raised an eyebrow, only for Riley to say firmly, "Don't start."

Aria held up her hands defensively, but said nothing as Riley grabbed her stuff and walked off. Once she was gone, Aria rolled her eyes and sighed. Personally, she liked Fred a lot more than she liked Draco, but Aria wondered if part of that came from being biased against most Purebloods because of their superiority complexes. Riley was pretty much the only Pureblood – other than the Weasleys – that she'd come into contact with who didn't have a superior attitude, only to be enhanced by the fact that Riley, like Aria, was a Parstlemouth.

Aria frowned as she looked down at the bench, thinking about herself and where she'd come from. While Riley had inherited her abilities from the women in her family, Aria was a first-generation Parstlemouth, or so she'd been told. She couldn't explain how she knew the language, or how she could speak to snakes, but she knew that it was true, and that it had been a useful ability over the years. No one from Hogwarts and Beauxbatons seemed to know about Riley's ability, but Aria could see it in the eyes of the older Durmstrang students that they all knew about her ability. Many of them glared at Riley from a distance, clearly remembering what she had done to their former classmate, who had been very popular. Only Viktor didn't seem to mind, along with some of the younger students that had come with Durmstrang, though Aria guessed that they knew, too. After all, what was the likelihood that the students had remained silent about Riley's incident after her expulsion, especially when they realized that they would be dealing with her on a regular basis this year? Harry was the only Hogwarts student that Aria knew of who knew about Riley's ability.

On the contrary, _no one _other than Riley - including the kids from Silvergates that Aria had known for years – knew that Aria was a Parstlemouth. Even Slater wasn't aware, and Aria wanted to keep it that way. Riley had been treated like a freak because of her ability, and Aria had enough grief on her plate, being an orphan and hanging with the most talented witch in their year when she wasn't from the same House. Back at Silvergates, no one understood Riley, because she was so different from most Purebloods, especially the ones in Slytherin. She was popular, but at the same time, the respect that she'd gained from most of the students was also mixed with fear, or caused by it. There was no doubt that she was strong, Aria right behind her and dominating her in Potions. Aria knew that if it came to a battle of Riley's Transfigurations versus Aria's Potions abilities, there would be an all-out war. Aria could whip out some of the deadliest Potions she had been able to get her hands on the instructions for, but she chose not to use them, most of the time. Another difference between Silvergates and the other schools that Aria had encountered was that Silvergates was extremely competitive with one another.

There were five Houses, and with the exception of Maeres – the House that Aria belonged to, who didn't particularly care about rivalry – every other House was extremely competitive with one another. It was considered unthinkable and downright treason for students from different Houses to maintain relationships with one another once they were Selected. All students spent their First Year together in one dormitory, without any allegiance to any House. At the end of the year, they were then Selected into the five different Houses, and given special crystals to wear around their necks as amplifiers to their powers. A condition of Silvergates students competing at the TriWizard tournament was the students left the amplifiers behind, so that everyone would be on the same playing field. Even so, there was a definite rivalry amongst the students, a rivalry that very few dared to question or step outside of. Aria and Aaron were in the same House, Maeres, but outside of that, very few students risked stepping outside of their House rivalries, except for Riley. She was a walking contradiction in every way, and didn't care even remotely if others were bothered by the fact.

"Aria?"

Aria turned her head and smiled when she saw Jake and Aaron walking over. "Hey, guys," she said brightly. "What's up?"

"Oh, Slater just wanted us to go over preparations for the next task with Riley," Aaron explained. "Is she around?"

"Sorry, guys," Aria apologized sympathetically. "She's off doing some work with the Gryffindors and Slytherins again."

"Does it strike anyone else odd how much time she spends with them?" Jake asked, looking confused.

Aria shrugged and rolled her eyes as she answered, "Riley's never been one for setting boundaries based on other people's."

"Here, here," Jake said in agreement.

Aria smiled and said, "Hey, Jake, I've noticed that you've been spending a lot of time with Lavender Brown. You thinking about asking her out?"

Jake blushed a deep shade of red and admitted, "Possibly, since I come over here every summer to visit my grandmother, anyway. I was thinking of waiting until closer to the end of the year, though."

"That way, if she turns him down, he doesn't have to stand around and have things be awkward between them," Aaron laughed.

"Shut up," Jake said, shoving Aaron in the shoulder, which only made him laugh even harder.

"Jake!" a voice yelled excitedly.

Aria turned her head to see Lavender Brown standing up at the top of the pathway, waving. Jake blushed and said, "I'll see you guys later, all right?" Without waiting for a response, he ran up the pathway to meet with Lavender before they walked away.

Aria shook her head and said in a sigh, "Things never change, do they?"

"Nope, they really don't," Aaron agreed.

"And what about you?" Aria asked, looking at Aaron through eyes narrowed and filled with a knowing amusement. "Thinking of chasing some of the Beauxbatons girls while you're here? Maybe get in on some Hogwarts action while you have the chance?"

Aaron smiled down at Aria in amusement. "Not that it's any of your business, and nowhere near as crude as you make it sound, but yes. Charisma Shelton, a Seventh Year from Ravenclaw – the girl that I went to the Yule Ball with – and I have been spending a lot of time together. She's coming to America to study abroad during college, and intends to work for their government afterward. Since we'll be so close, we were thinking of seeing one another after this year."

"She's going to a Muggle school?" Aria asked with interest. She could imagine the seventh-year Hogwarts student; tall, very beautiful, with long, straight black hair and beautiful brown eyes. She and Aaron had gone to the Yule Ball together and hit it off really well, but Aria hadn't paid much attention to the two of them since.

Still, Aria could see where a girl would be interested in Aaron. He was eighteen, a Fourth Year at Silvergates, and was very knowledgeable about magic. He was fair at Defense Against the Dark Arts, brilliant at Charms, and not too terrible at Potions. Still, his love was in learning; he loved to read books of all kinds, and already had a collection that made his house look like a library. He was six foot something with sandy blonde hair, very good-looking, and one of the more humble men that Aria had ever met, while also having a great sense of humor. He would be a catch to any girl who was looking for a nice guy to date.

Aaron nodded and said, "Well, as it turns out, she's a half-blood, like me, and appreciates the Muggle in her blood as much as the magic; the only strain of Muggle in her being her great-great grandmother, who was a half and half. Still, she doesn't have any reservations about Muggles, and is kind of like you and Riley in that she believes in protecting them and treats them as equals. She wants to go to school in America and get some more hands-on experience with them before pursuing a career in the Ministry of Magic as a correspondent between Muggles and the Wizarding world."

"That's an ambitious goal," Aria said, somewhat impressed.

"That's what I thought," Aaron agreed. "And she's got the influence of her heritage to go through with it if she wants to. I guess she's one of the descendants of Helga Hufflepuff, who created this school, and she's been pursuing this idea for so long that now that she's old enough to finally graduate, she wants to put it into action."

"And it goes right along with your dream of working for the Ministry as an international correspondent," Aria pointed out.

Aaron smiled knowingly and said, "That's the idea."

Aria frowned and then asked, "Do you mind if I ask you something, Aaron?"

Aaron raised an eyebrow curiously and said, "Not at all, but I'm curious about when you became so nosy all of a sudden." He spoke as he sat down on the bench, straddling it at facing Aria.

Aria turned to face Aaron and she shrugged as she said bluntly, "Must be from having spent so much time with Riley, finally wearing off." Aaron chuckled, but said nothing as he waited for Aria to continue. Aria hesitated, and then asked seriously, "Why did you submit Riley's name into the Goblet of Fire?"

Aaron frowned, a serious look on his face now. He looked down for a minute before looking up and saying, "You know, we've been here four months and I've just been waiting for someone to ask me that. It's funny that you ask, because even Riley and Slater haven't asked. They just kind of accepted it and moved on."

"Well, kind of, but not really," Aria said awkwardly. "I mean, if we aren't invited back for the next Tournament, you and Riley will _both_ be expelled."

Aaron nodded and said with a scowl, "I know. Slater told me, right before he told me that if I didn't help Riley with whatever she needed help with, he'd kick me out anyway."

Aria shrugged and asked, "So, why?"

Aaron smiled as he looked down, his gaze somewhat distant as he said, "Honestly? Riley _doesn't_ need my help." He looked up at Aria, his gaze filled with awe and admiration as he saw Aria's confused expression. He then said in a calm voice, "Riley doesn't need _any_ of us except you, and that has to do with her emotions more than her capabilities. After all, I haven't seen her use any potions, which is what you're best at. I've watched you two since you first came to Silvergates at the beginning of last year - back when I was a Second Year student – and I've always marveled at exactly how much the two of you seem to always know. You absorb everything that the teachers said so quickly, and take the effort to learn on your own when everyone else was just doing minimal work. Every summer, you two buy books that none of us had ever even heard of, books that the _teachers_ themselves wouldn't have bothered picking up, and you push yourselves to the brink of insanity to learn. All you two ever do is learn; you go further than what the teachers told you to do just because you want to better yourselves. You don't have boundaries, and that mindset has turned you into the top witches in your class. You're better than most of us Fourth Years, in fact.

"_You_, Aria, are better than every student in the school at Potions." Aria blushed, and Aaron continued to say, "Riley's ability with Transfigurations is unparalleled, and the two of you lead the school in its ability to duel. It's _unbelievable_ what you two can do, and when I saw Riley prepare to help me and the others when we thought that one of us was going to be made Champion, I realized that she wanted it. She _wanted_ to become Champion, but she was more than willing to support me and the others, anyway, even though most of the Silvergates students aren't completely comfortable around her. The rest of us looked at this Tournament as a chance to get rich and famous fast, but she _wanted_ to be in the Tournament because of the tournament itself. She _wanted_ it, but was being held back because she was a year and a few weeks too young. I had – and still have – no doubts that she'll make it through this Tournament fine; with a little luck, she might even win."

"But you gambled with her life on that lack of doubt," Aria pointed out, her eyes narrowed. "When you submitted that parchment with her name on it, you took a risk, and it wasn't a risk that you had the right to take."

"I know," Aaron agreed with a nod. "It wasn't my risk to take, but I knew that Riley would never consent to cheating. I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but if I had the chance to go back in time with the knowledge that I have now, I would make the same decision. Riley's done amazingly in this Tournament, she's made friends that she wouldn't have outside of it, and maybe when all of this is over, things will work out for her. Out of all of us that came, Riley is the strongest in combat," Aaron said, not sounding like he doubted what he was saying at all. Aria nodded in agreement, and Aaron said, "This is Silvergates's first, and possibly last, time to be this Tournament. If we're going to participate in something this big, I think that the school should be represented in the best way possible, and Riley was the person for the task; no offense intended."

Aria held her hands up defensively and said, "Hey, it's stressful enough being the person who picks up all of the pieces and makes sure she gets there on time. I don't think I could handle being in the same arena as a dragon that wanted to burn me alive, and not be allowed to kill it. If it had been _me_ in there, I would have used a Potion to kill the thing, but I don't have the power to attack it in the way that Riley did."

"That's my point," Aaron said, nodding. "That's _exactly_ what I meant. Riley has a lot of untapped power, and since she's had so much negative opinions put on her - with no one other than you and a few of her classmates to believe in her - I figure that this is her chance to make her mark on this world, to finally get the respect and recognition that she deserves."

Aria nodded in understanding and said, "I understand why you did it, but I just can't get over the fact that you were

"Do you really think she's in that much danger?" Aaron asked skeptically.

"Oh, I'm sure that she's in _indescribable_ danger," Aria said without hesitation.

"Let's rephrase that," Aaron said, adjusting himself on the bench and looking Aria in the eye. "Is there any danger that could be presented to Riley in this Tournament that you don't think she can overcome?"

Aria frowned as she remembered the Gryffindor tower burning brightly with fiend fire, and the hysteria that it had thrown Riley into. She imagined Riley every night, seeing her friend turn over in her own bed and cry with terror. Aria blinked as she envisioned Riley lying in her arms, crying and fighting her as she tried to get her to calm down. There was only one thing that could cause Riley to break down and go into hysteria.

Aria looked at Aaron, and she said, "No, I don't."

Aaron blinked and said, "_That's_ why I submitted her name."

"You think she'll win this Tournament?" Aria asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Aaron said without hesitation, "I think that she'll do her best for Silvergates, even if it kills her."

_That's what I'm afraid of,_ Aria thought miserably. _Riley gives everything her all, even if it means sacrificing everything she has._

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A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	28. Chapter 26: First Snowfall

A/N: 2,300 hits! Yahoooo! I'm so happy, I'm so happy! Plus, I've gotten a total of four reviews, which makes me happy, though I'd love to hear more. This chapter and the next are probably going to seem extremely random and unrealistic, but I enjoyed writing it, because I think the fact that even though the group goes to Hogsmeade every winter, they never really do anything fun, so I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I'm enjoying it because of just how unrealistic it is, you know? Anyone, have fun, and please review.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-six: First Snowfall

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The snow continued to fall for the rest of the night, so thick was it that classes were canceled with the order that all students return to their dorms until dinner. So Harry was sent to the Slytherin dorm, where he was forced to watch the two Houses clash and argue for the next six hours, until dinner. The Silvergates students sat back and watched the arguing with either amusement or annoyance. Riley, who had been acting as peacemaker for a while, finally sat back with her books and scribbled in them while the Gryffindors and Slytherins insisted on arguing, submitting to the fact that they weren't getting along and she wasn't enough to stop them. Watching her, Harry felt like he was watching Hermione, who had done the exact same thing, only she'd submitted to the chair in front of the fireplace, and ended up arguing with Pansy Parkinson as to who would get the chair, since Pansy thought that it was her right as a Slytherin to get the chair, even though Hermione had been sitting there for over two hours.

The Gryffindors weren't sleeping in the dorms with the Slytherins – by both choice and force – but were instead sleeping in the common room in sleeping bags. The dorm had become exceedingly crowded, as the two Hogwarts Houses, Durmstrang and Silvergates were all staying there. Some of the Silvergates kids had opted to sleep with the Hufflepuffs, but Harry had heard Riley tell Aria that she was going to stay because it made it easier to commune with Fred and Draco if she was staying in the same place as both of them. Aria stayed, but the rest of the Silvergates kids left after a few nights, the kid name Aaron informing his friends that he would be going to room with Ravenclaw, a statement which caused Riley and Aria to laugh knowingly, though Harry had no idea why.

When Harry woke up the next morning, he looked out one of the windows of the Slytherin common room and saw that in the time they'd been sleeping, snow had built up so high that he guessed you couldn't see the ground at all from here to Hogsmeade. It looked as though it was at least three feet high, and thick.

"Now, _this_ is the kind of weather I like."

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around to see Riley walking over in nothing but a white tanktop and jeans. He stared at her with dismay, as though she was mad. "Aren't you cold?" he asked in disbelief.

Riley shook her head and said carelessly, "Not really. In America, we usually get this weather around Christmas, January at the latest. I love it, being able to go out and spend all day in the snow."

"Well, unfortunately we won't get all day," Harry said, somewhat regretfully. "We still have classes today. But tomorrow we do get to go into Hogsmeade."

"Awesome," Riley said, sitting down on one of the chairs and pulling her sandals off and replacing them with regular shoes. "I'll probably come with you guys again; load up on the butterbeer."

"You gonna go with us or Slytherin again?" Harry asked, watching as Riley reached for her wand and leather jacket.

Riley raised an eyebrow at Harry, and he knew that his question had come out a little abrupt. She smiled teasingly and said, "Getting a little jealous of all the time I spend with the Slytherins, are we, Harry?"

"That's not how I meant for it to come out," Harry admitted.

Riley chuckled and stood up as she pulled her leather jacket on. "I'll probably come with you guys," she said, zipping the jacket up a few inches. "Since I went with the Slytherins last time, and I missed out on the trip where you guys went to replace your stuff, I figure I owe you guys this trip."

"You don't owe us anything," Harry insisted.

Riley shrugged and said, "Well, I want to go, anyway, and I'd like to go with my friends."

"Doesn't Slater mind you hanging out with us all of the time?" Harry asked, confused.

Riley rolled her eyes and said, "Slater's an old windbag who doesn't notice anything past the tip of his nose." When she saw Harry's startled expression, she shrugged and said, "I've got something of a dark side when I'm mad."

"I've noticed," Harry said. "Still, if _I_ were spending a ton of time with the Durmstrang kids, McGonagall would probably freak out."

"Yeah, well, Slater's pretty desperate for us to make friends right now," Riley said, frowning. "Did I tell you that Lucius Malfoy was here a week ago?"

"No," Harry said, completely thrown. "You _didn't_ tell me that."

Riley frowned and nodded. "Yeah, he came and told Dumbledore and Slater that he and the Board of Governors didn't think that Silvergates should come back next time."

"What?" Harry exclaimed in disbelief. "Why?"

Riley pulled her hair out from within her jacket and looked at Harry in disbelief. "Are you serious? After the incident in Gryffindor's tower, the only thing keeping my butt in the Tournament is the fact that I can't physically _not_ compete, because of the binding spell/contract thingy."

"What else did he say?" Harry asked, not sure that he wanted to know this.

Riley's eyes darkened and she was clearly thinking of something that she wasn't happy about, and Harry got the distinct feeling that she was leaving some details out as she went on to say, "They ended up making a compromise that as long as there aren't any huge incidences like that again, and as long as no one dies, we can come back. Anyone dies and if there's another fire, we can't come back."

"How do you know this?" Harry asked, confused. "Were you in there for the meeting?"

Riley shook her head and said, "No. In fact, I was listening to my music when I saw him coming down, and I was in the hallway perpendicular to Dumbledore's office, but I heard it all."

"How'd you-" Harry began, and when Riley looked over at him with a knowing expression, he suddenly understood. "Oh!"

Riley grabbed her wand from where she'd set it on the chair beside her. She grabbed it and set it in her back pocket, and then ran a hand through her hair, flipping it over her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm treading on thin waters as it is, so I think that Slater is willing to let me do just about anything if it means making good will among the other schools."

Harry opened his mouth to say something when he heard several groans from kids lying on the floor. He looked around and saw Fred, George, Aria, Angelina and Hermione begin to stir, though Ron was still sleeping like a log.

Hermione looked up and blinked several times in surprise when she saw Harry standing by the window. "What are you doing awake already?" she asked in surprise. "You're never up this early."

Harry shrugged and said, "I was cold, wanted to get up and warm before heading to breakfast."

"I've been up since four," Riley said, making everyone jump. Clearly, none of them had noticed that she was there. Riley smiled when she saw their reactions, rolling her eyes in disbelief.

"You've been up at really weird hours since we arrived," Aria moaned, glaring in dislike at Riley. "I hate you."

Riley shrugged and said, "My body just likes the cold, so when it gets colder outside, I wake up earlier and earlier. Just be glad that I'm not a night owl here. After all, times here are like almost opposite of ours at home."

"True," Aria muttered, lying back down and drawing her sleeping back over her head as she resumed her sleeping position. It was only a few minutes before everyone could hear her snoring ever so slightly.

"And she claims she doesn't snore," Fred muttered as he rubbed his eyes.

"Would someone wake up the nut bomb?" George asked, glaring at his brother. His eyes brightened as he reached for his wand. He then pointed it at Ron and opened his mouth to speak, when Riley interrupted him.

"What are you doing?" Riley asked in disbelief, although she had a smile on her face.

"Homework," George said, focusing on Ron. He kept his mouth closed, and a moment later a flash of red shot from his wand and hit Ron.

"_Ahh!_" Ron exclaimed as he suddenly woke up, jumping around in his sleeping bag and looking around in confusion. "What, what happened?" he asked in confusion. "Why..." His eyes widened in alarm as he looked down at himself. "Where did all of this water come from?" His eyes suddenly widened in alarm and he ran from within his sleeping bag to the Slytherin bathroom.

Fred and George were laughing hysterically, hitting high fives. Riley stared at them in disbelief, trying not to smile to widely. Angelina stared at them with an outraged and disbelieving look on her face. Harry and Hermione were staring in confusion, not quite understanding what had just happened.

"Tell me that you didn't just conjure warm water on your brother," Angelina said in disbelief.

"You _what?_" Hermione exclaimed.

"Oh, that's brilliant," Harry said, a smile on his face.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Well?" Harry asked defensively. "Tell me that you wouldn't like to do that to Ron when you're he starts ragging on you about S.P.E.W."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but found that nothing came out. Everyone laughed, and Riley said aloud, "Well, at least something got him interested in doing silent spells."

The day went by like lightning. Looking forward to the next day when they would be allowed to go to Hogsmeade, Harry barely noticed anything his teachers had to say. Still, he tried hard to listen, because Hermione had recently threatened not to let him use her notes on his assignments, and he knew that after the event this morning, there was a chance that she might go through with her threat.

The next day, everyone in their third year and above began to make their way to Hogsmeade, everyone happy and excited about being able to leave school for a day of fun. On their way, Riley, who had once again dressed insanely in nothing but jeans, a T-shirt, her leather jacket and regular shoes, was looking around, as though searching for something specifically.

Finally fed up with watching her without a clue what she was doing, Harry asked aloud, "What are you doing, Riley?"

"I'm trying to see if there's a good place around here for snowboarding and sledding," Riley said as she looked in each direction.

"Oh, I hadn't even _thought_ of _that_," Aria said, sounding bright and interested. She suddenly began to look around, confusing everyone else.

"What now?" Ron asked, looking at Riley in confusion. Fred and George were looking at Riley with equal confusion.

Riley stopped and stared at the Weasleys with utter disbelief on her face, Aria sharing the same look as they faced their friends. "You guys are such Neanderthals, it's not even funny," Riley said in disbelief.

"Do you guys _ever_ converse with Muggles?" Aria asked in equal confusion.

"What are 'Neander-whatevers'?" George asked in confusion, looking at Fred and then back at Riley.

"Oh, my gosh," Riley said in disbelief as she looked away, then back at the boys and asked, "How have you made it to your _sixth_ _year_?"

"The teachers want them out of the school as soon as possible, so they pass them," Hermione said, looking over at Riley and Aria. She looked back at the Weasleys and said, "Snowboarding is where you take a long, thin piece of either fiberglass, wood or some sort of plastic, and you ride it down a hill of snow."

"I've heard it's a lot of fun," Harry agreed, "But I wouldn't know. It's not like the Dursleys were ever willing to pay money for me to do anything, let alone something fun."

"And the Neander-guys?" Fred asked, confused. "Who or what are they? Some wizards?"

"Actually, that's the only way that I can imagine they made it through those times," Aria said, glancing at Riley, who shrugged in agreement.

"Ask Binns the next time that you see him," Hermione said, turning around. "And check out a book on Muggles once in a while, or even better, talk to one without bringing up magic or Quidditch."

"But what else is there to talk about?" Ron asked, confused.

"_Wow!_" Aria said, looking forward as they walked.

"What?" Ron asked, confused as to what he said wrong.

"I would love to throw the two of you in downtown Los Angeles and see you fall flat on your faces," Riley said, rolling her eyes. (1)

"Let me explain something," Aria said, turning around and walking backward as she faced the guys. "Muggles know _nothing_ about Quidditch. They don't even know it exists." The guys widened their eyes in alarm, except for Harry, who was just listening in amusement. "The pictures that Muggles have, they don't move, and everything that we eat, stays solid and doesn't move."

"That would be _so_ boring," Fred said, sounding disgusted.

"Tell me that when I'm throwing up moving pieces of a chocolate frog," Riley said with a disgusted face.

"You guys looking forward to going home?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

Riley shrugged and said, "I guess, but I'm not looking forward to the time change again. I mean, it's a total pain to have to adjust yourself to a time completely opposite to the one you're used to."

"She's right," Aria said, nodding. "What feels like day is actually night, and when you're feeling hungry for the first time, everyone else is eating dinner."

"That _would_ be strange," Hermione said aloud.

"Hey, Riley!"

Harry turned around when he saw Ginny running over, waving at Riley. Riley brightened up and said, "Hey, Ginny. What's up?"

"We were just released to come over," Ginny said as she stopped with the group. "I was wondering if you were serious about setting up a place to snowboard around here."

"_You_ know about snowboarding?" Ron asked in surprise, his older brothers looking just as surprised.

Ginny nodded and said, "With the weather getting colder and colder, but not actually snowing, Riley's been telling us about the world that she and Aria come from, and about what they like to do during the winter."

"You guys been spending a lot of time together?" Fred asked curiously, looking between his sister and Riley.

Riley shrugged and said, "I hang out with Ginny in the library and outside every day during her free period. Luckily for me, all of you have different free periods, so I get chances to hang out with all of my friends and help them out." She smiled at Ginny and said, "Although Ginny doesn't need much of my help in any of her classes."

"I do get help in Transfigurations, though," Ginny pointed out.

"True," Riley admitted. "Uh, yeah, I think I found a spot, but I want to get something to eat and drink first before we head up."

"You sure about that?" Aria asked with a smirk on her face. "The snow's so beautiful; are you sure you want to paint it with chunks of chicken and butterbeer?"

Riley narrowed her eyes at Aria and said with dislike, "Ha ha, very funny. That only happened once, and it was when I was going down a hundred foot drop that was almost _completely_ vertical."

"You threw up while snowboarding?" Hermione asked with a smile on her face.

Riley blushed and said in embarrassment, "My first time out, when I was like ten, I got terrified and was screaming while going downhill, and when you reach the bottom, there's this shock and nauseating feeling. Well, I kind of threw up when I reached the bottom, made this big mess all over the place." She shook her head as they drew closer to Hogsmeade and she said, "But enough imagining me getting sick all over the snow. Come on, Ginny. I wanna go get something to eat." With that she took off running, Ginny following her as they raced into town ahead of the others.

Aria smiled as she watched Ginny and Riley run off. "You know, aside from me, I'd say that Ginny's probably her best friend."

"Oh, thanks," Fred said sarcastically as he looked at Aria through narrowed, teasing eyes. "And the countless hours I've spent with her means nothing?"

Aria looked up at Fred and said, "Oh, you know what I mean, Fred. I'm talking about people who are..." Her voice trailed off, and everyone was left with an extremely awkward feeling in the air. Harry tried not to smile, but found it threatening to come over his face. He could almost answer the statement himself. What Aria had wanted to say was "People who are _just_ her friends, and she doesn't like, or something along those lines, which is why she didn't include Draco in that list of best friends."

Fred looked away, trying not to look too embarrassed. Hermione and George both looked ready to laugh, but neither allowed themselves, and Harry just continued to remain quiet. Only Ron didn't seem to understand and spoke.

"'People who are' what?" Ron asked, clearly not understanding what everyone else was thinking, what made them all quiet.

"Girls," Aria lied, but the answer seemed to satisfy Ron.

Harry cleared his throat and said, "Riley's right, though, about us needing to hurry up. We only have so much time here today." With that, he walked past his friends, suddenly feeling like the air around them was extremely thick and filled with electricity.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	29. Chapter 27: A Day To Never Forget

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-seven: A Day To Never Forget

* * *

Riley leaned against the bar as she waited for the bartender to bring out Butterbeers for her and Ginny, who'd managed to get to the Hog's Head before the others even reached Hogsmeade. Riley looked over at her friend and asked, "So, how are things going for you? Haven't seen you outside of being in the common room every night. We haven't really talked in a while, since-"

"Since the last Task?" Ginny asked, sitting down on one of the bar stools, Riley doing the same. "Yeah, I know. Things have just been hectic, classes and everything." She smiled at Riley and said, "Must be nice, to not have any classes."

Riley rolled her eyes and said, "You have no idea. This is the first time since I started school that I don't feel totally swamped."

"I thought you liked homework," Ginny said, sounding surprised.

Riley scoffed and said, "Are you kidding? I hate homework. I would rather be out there, practicing what I'm learning in the classroom. Thing is, I know I have a better chance of doing what I want to if I do well in school, and it's not like I have a hard time with the work I'm doing, so I do it to the best ability that I can."

Ginny shook her head and chuckled as the bartender came over with two Butterbeers. Ginny took the cap off of hers and said aloud in a sigh, "Shows that first impressions can be misleading."

"Well, yes and now," Riley said, catching Ginny's attention again. Riley frowned and said, "I'm not saying that your impression wasn't wrong, but I feel it fair to warn you that if you make any decisions about me, you're bound to be disappointed, because I always manage to find a way to surprise people."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked after she finished taking a drink, confused.

Riley frowned and thought of an example. "Well, let's start with this: Most people look at me and see a few things: power, brains and dedication. So they naturally think that I'm a good student who teachers love. Truth is that my teachers at Silvergates like me, but they also dislike me because they're so confused about me and how to deal with me. Also, I was expelled from Durmstrang, which just goes to prove that I'm not as good of a student as people like to think. Second example: Your assumption that I like schoolwork. In reality, I hate it, but I do it because it's the only way that I can get to the position that I want to be in, and I only help others with it because I figure that I have the brains to do it, might as well help them out. That, and the fact that I have nothing else to do here until the next Task."

"Okay, I get your point," Ginny said with a smile.

Riley took a long drink of her Butterbeer and then said, "Then there's the fact that I'm a Parstlemouth, and I seem to know more about things in the Muggle world than almost _everyone_ from the four schools."

Ginny shrugged and said, "Most of the witches and wizards I've met don't like conversing with Muggles because they aren't one."

Riley shrugged and said, "I guess it's because I grew up around both Muggles and magical people that I see both sides. I mean, in America we're allowed to go to and from without a second thought, as long as we've got consent from our guardians. In my case, because I'm an orphan with no family whatsoever, Silvergates has the right of guardianship over me. We use a lot modern technology, along with techniques used here."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, confused.

"All right," Riley said, shrugging. "Here's the perfect example of what I mean: I've had my MP3 player out as a form of relaxing before the Tasks, and no one knows what it is or how it works."

"What's an 'MP3 player'?" Ginny asked, confused.

"_That's_ what I mean," Riley said, looking at Ginny. "That's _exactly_ what I'm talking about. It's a device that I use to listen to music on without having to hook it up to anything."

"Really?" Ginny asked, surprised.

Riley nodded and said, "Yeah, and no one here has any idea what it is. The Bulgarians and French students look at me as though I'm mad when they catch me listening to it, but that's pretty standard to have over in America. Another example is this whole snowboarding thing, no one seeming to know what that is. At the same time, all of our assignments and everything have to be turned in exactly like your guys's are, on parchment and in quill. It's just weird. It just drives me nuts that there's such a huge difference, a huge line, between the wizarding world and the Muggle world. To step from London streets into Hogwarts is like being thrown back by a hundred years. Silvergates is kind of like that, kind of not, but it's just aggravating to see the line of separation that the wizarding world has created for itself."

"You know," Ginny said in disbelief as she listened to Riley go on so passionately. "If I didn't know better, I would never have guessed you were a Pureblood, listening

"So are you," Riley pointed out.

Ginny shrugged and said, "Yeah, but my family has been labeled throughout the wizarding world as poor, mad and Muggle-lovers. You're a Pureblood with the power to make a difference."

"So are you," Riley pointed out again, frowning seriously as she looked at Ginny. "Ginny, you're an incredibly strong witch, one who could rival me or Hermione. I think that if you were thrown into a duel, you would be incredible. You're incredibly strong, stronger than all of your brothers without a doubt," she added, smiling. "Don't put yourself or your family down."

"I'm not," Ginny argued. "I'm just saying that you're definitely different than I would have guessed, unlike any Pureblood that I've ever met."

Riley smiled and said, "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," Ginny said with a smile.

Riley and Ginny finished their Butterbeers and were making their way outside to the general area where dozens of kids were hanging out, talking to one another. Riley smiled as she looked around, wondering if there was a way for her to do what she wanted. Riley grabbed her wand from her back pocket, holding it in her left hand.

Ginny looked down at Riley's hand, smiling with confusion as she looked at Riley. "Planning something that I don't know about?"

"Maybe," Riley said as she began to walk down the road.

"You got something in mind?" Ginny asked as she followed. "Cause I'd love to hear it."

Riley looked around, eying the trees in the area. She smiled as she walked up something of a hill and looked down, her eyes twinkling as she said, "Oh yeah, this is gonna be perfect."

"What is?" Ginny asked confused.

"Riley, what are you doing?"

Riley looked downhill to see Harry walking over with Ron and Hermione. George, Fred and Lee weren't far away, walking out of one of the shops with a list in their hand. Riley smiled at Harry and said, "Oh, I'm just having a little fun." She turned to her left without actually moving her feet, raised her wand and said aloud in a clear, firm voice, "_Accido!_"

All of a sudden, two large trees seemed to be cut off completely at their bases. Riley heard people all over gasp and begin to watch. She gave a wave of her wand and the trees turned over so that they were floating in the air horizontally. The wood then seemed to peel itself off of the trees, pieces of it peeling away and back. No one could understand what was happening except for Riley, whose eyes were filled with amusement, yet her mind was serious as she focused.

"Ginny," Riley said, still concentrating on the wood, "Give your wand a wave toward and say the word 'Risa'. No matter what happens, don't break the spell."

Ginny hesitated, not sure what was going on, but did as she was told. As soon as she said the word, the snow began to spiral around, moving its way over into a large pile. It seemed to move on its own, creeping into a large pile along the hill, revealing the grass beneath, yet still making an enormous pile. People began to come over, watching with awe and confusion as they waited to see what was happening.

"Ginny, what are you two doing?" Fred exclaimed as he walked over with his brother and best friend.

After a few moments, the snow had arranged itself so that it was six feet deep and ran up the entire hill, perfect for what Riley had in mind.

"That good?"

"Perfect," Riley said, her eyes narrowed as the wood finished working on itself.

"You've got to be kidding," Aria said, her eyes wide with disbelief, but a smile on her face.

"What?"

Riley kept the wood floating, but swung around to the side, sending the pieces flying out in the air toward people below them. Three dozen people caught the pieces of wood, including Aria and her friends. Aria turned the wood over in her hand, marveling at the work.

"What is this?" Fred asked, confused.

"Snowboards," Aria laughed, shaking her head. She looked up at Riley and yelled out loud, "You're crazy, woman!"

"Maybe," Riley laughed, "But it's the first snowfall of the year. Let's enjoy it!" She pulled out her MP3 player from her pocket and tapped it, saying aloud, "_Sonorus!_"

All of a sudden, music began to play out loud, and everyone began laughing, cheering and clapping as the music played loudly. Riley held up the boards that she had left on the snow, handing one to Ginny. Ginny took it, looking confused, and Riley said with a smile, "You wanted to know what snowboarding is, didn't you?"

Ginny smiled, her eyes twinkling in disbelief and gratitude. "Aria's right, Riley. You're crazy."

Riley laughed as she ran up to the top of the hill, setting the board down on the top of the hill of snow. She set herself on top of it and leaned forward, setting it off downhill. She laughed as she began sliding down the hill, weaving to the left and right until she reached the bottom of the hill. Seeing what all was involved, everyone who'd gotten a board laughed and began racing up to the top of the hill, suddenly wanting to be a part of it. As Riley came racing down the hill on the board, she spun to a stop by twisting sideways and sending snow flying at her friends, who were staring at her as though she were mad.

"Hey!" Fred laughed as he got nailed by snow.

Riley laughed and said, "Come on, slowpokes." She pulled her jacket off, revealing her white tanktop. She threw it down onto the ground, along with her wand and MP3 player, which was still playing loudly. "We won't get many of these days this year, so enjoy it." When she saw them hesitate, she said, "I promise that if you don't enjoy it after one round, I'll _never_ bother you about it again."

Fred hesitated, then smiled and said, "Race you to the top, George."

Fred and George suddenly took off running up the snow, Lee not far behind them. Hermione, who looked ready to burst with excitement, took her board up, followed closely by Ron. Riley looked over at Harry, who was smiling and shook his head, saying, "You're insane, Riley."

"You know, I've been called that like four times in the last five minutes," Riley said, a smile on her face. "Must be true." She looked around and saw people from all over Hogsmeade, gathering and laughing as they took turns going down the hill. "But look at this, everyone coming together, in spite of what school they're from. No one cares right now, they're just having a good time. Even the Slytherins and Gryffindors are having a good time together."

Harry noticed that Riley was right. Several Gryffindor and Slytherin kids were sharing snowboards, no one even seeming to care that they were from different Houses. Harry had never seen anything like it, kids brought together by excitement and enjoyment of a common interest.

Riley smiled as she watched the same thing he did, saying aloud, "If bringing them together like this, without seeing boundaries or differences means that I'm crazy..." She looked back at Harry and smiled as she said, "Then call me a schizophrenic lunatic, because this, " she said, holding a hand out toward the laughing kids as they made their way down the hill, laughing even when they fell off of their boards and made mistakes. Riley looked back at Harry and said, "This isn't bad."

"No," Harry agreed, smiling at Riley. "You're right. This isn't half bad."

Riley watched as Harry made his way up the slope. She set her board into the snow and pulled her hair back behind her shoulders as she watched the people going down the slope. Ginny and her brothers were having a blast, Hermione and Ron raced, laughing the entire time, and Lee was sending off sparks from his wand as he went, laughing the entire time. She folded her arms as she watched, laughing when Harry went down and ended up falling off onto the snow. Even then, he looked thrilled.

"You know, while you're insane, you're also brilliant."

Riley turned her head and saw Draco walking over, a smile on his face. His hands were shoved into his pant pockets, an amused expression combined with a smirk threatening to make Riley laugh.

Riley smiled and said, "I'm not that brilliant. Every winter, Aria and I would convince Slater to let us go snowboarding for a few days. Because we're orphans and no longer at the orphanage, we spent our winters and summers at the castle, which tended to be a bit dull."

"So you found ways to occupy your time?" Draco asked, walking up right beside Riley.

Riley nodded and smiled, saying, "We got to the point where, if he didn't let us go, we'd snowboard off of the rooftop." She laughed and said, "That one convinced him to let us go to a resort or mountain and snowboard. The complaints he got from the nurse for broken bones was enough to shut the school down."

"You have completely overthrown every standard that our school has built itself on," Draco said as he walked over. "People who hated each other are now conversing and laughing together, and even Crabbe and Goyle are having fun with those guys." It was true. The two Slytherins were up at the top of the hill, having fun as they came down on some borrowed boards. Draco shook his head as he said in disbelief, "In less than a year you've undone every standard that we've built our lives on, and no one seems to mind."

Riley chuckled and said, "I _do_ seem to have that effect on people."

Draco smiled in amusement and said, "Well, it seems that your plan worked, because everyone seems to be having fun, and no one seems to care that they're hanging out with people that they don't belong with."

Riley shrugged and said, "That's not true. There's no reason for them to not be with each other." She saw Draco's eyes narrow, and she said with a smile, "You and I are from different schools. Does that mean that we don't belong to be around each other?"

Draco smiled at Riley, but said nothing as he looked back at the snowboarders, the music and cheers making Riley feel that anything was possible, and no longer able to frown. Today was a good day, one that would probably never happen again. Still, Riley couldn't help but feel that she'd helped the people around her, even if only a little, and she couldn't think of a better thing to have done.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	30. Chapter 28: Almost

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-eight: Almost

* * *

The kids continued snowboarding, laughing and dancing to the music in Hogsmeade for the next five hours. By the time that they got back to Hogwarts, it was almost time for dinner. Aria had been amazed at how much she enjoyed the day, even more than all of the days that she'd gone snowboarding and spent with the Hogwarts kids. Because today, she'd spent time with not only the Hogwarts kids, but all of her old friends from Beauxbatons, and kids she barely or didn't know. It had been exhilarating, spending so much time snowboarding. A hundred kids had shared thirty snowboards, listened to music and danced/sang like there was no tomorrow. Unlike the others, who waited until around five to get back to the castle, Aria and George came back, but not for a good reason.

Aria stumbled into the Slytherin common room, shaking and her teeth chattering as she longed for fire. She was covered in water, soaked from head to toe. She had her arms crossed, holding onto her arms as her wide eyes shook. "Fire, please," Aria said in a hurried tone.

George held his wand out toward the fireplace. A moment later, the fire was burning bright and warm, and George was walking over to Aria's sleeping bag. "You okay?" he asked, a smile on his face.

"Yeah," Aria said with a nod, barely able to speak through her chattering teeth. "Frozen, but all right."

George chuckled and said, "That's what happens when you fall off your snowboard and fall into a pond."

Aria glared at George through narrowed eyes and said bitterly, "You're talking awful big for someone who snowboarded today for the first time."

George chuckled as he grabbed a towel from his bag, which was by Aria's bag, and walked over to wrap it around Aria. He wrapped it around Aria and rubbed her arms, trying to get the blood moving. He smiled in amusement and teased, "All of your experience didn't keep you from falling into the water, though, did it?"

Aria couldn't argue with that, but just let out a shaky sigh as her entire body seemed to freeze. She was grateful for George's warm hands trying to warm her arms up. She'd been going downhill on a snowboard when she put too much weight in the wrong place, causing the board to slip out from underneath her and for her to go tumbling down the hill and into a pond. George had rushed her back to the castle to get her warm, but Aria felt as though she couldn't even feel her fingers or toes, as though they'd fallen off.

George smiled, seeing her expression, and he asked, "How long have you been snowboarding?"

"Since I was ten," Aria admitted. "The witch who ran the orphanage took us outside and taught us all how to snowboard; thought it was more productive than us all running around inside, screaming and playing and annoying her."

"How was that?" George asked, leading Aria over to one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. "Growing up in an orphanage?" He helped her sit down, kneeling down on the ground in front of her and looking up at her while he waited for an answer.

Aria frowned, and said in a regretful tone, "Actually, it wasn't bad for _me_, but I think it was really lonely for Riley." She looked down and said, "Riley's always been on her own, no matter how hard I've tried to help her. I'm the closest friend she has, but even that only goes so far."

"What do you mean?" George asked as he narrowed his eyes up at her in confusion.

Aria frowned and said, "Well, Riley's gone through a lot more than I have, which has made her both distant and indifferent. I was taken to the orphanage when I was five. My parents died when I was young, and I was sent to live with my mom's sister. I don't remember them at all; only my aunt and the village that I grew up in. But my aunt died from a werewolf attack right after my fifth birthday. The leader of the American government took me to the orphanage in America, and when I arrived, I found that Riley was already there. She was the only other kid our age. The next kid above us was eleven and preparing to go to Silvergates, and everyone else was at least three-years-old or younger." Her eyes darkened as memories washed over her, her voice empty as she said, "When I got there, Riley was in a completely empty room without windows or any form of life; she sat with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs, unmoving, like a frightened animal. I remember it, because she turned her head when I came down the hallway. Her eyes were so dull and dark that I didn't understand how she could be alive. She didn't look happy to see me at all; she just stared at me. I think she thought I was going to leave soon, because it wasn't until a month after I arrived that she talked to me."

"Why would she think you would leave?" George asked, confused.

Aria frowned even more and said, "If I were to be adopted, or if they found family that I didn't know about, I'd leave, and I don't think that she could have handled getting close to someone, only to have them be ripped away."

"Is that why she's so defensive about everything?" George asked. When he saw Aria look at him as though she was both confused and angry, he explained, "It's not a bad thing, just something I've noticed. Riley's tried to become the best at everything, almost to the point where she's scary. I mean, she's like a completely different type of person; almost _above _the rest of us. It feels like you can't get close to her, like you're intrigued by her, but don't want to go near her because you're afraid you'll either get blown up or talked down to. Like that day when she read Rita Skeeter's article and sent all of the newspapers in the place on fire." He shook his head. "Not many kids in the school can do that, which just demonstrates how different she is from the rest of us. Really, it intimidates and scares a lot of the people I've talked to, and not just ones from Hogwarts. Even kids from Silvergates find it intimidating. No one knows how to approach her about _anything_." (A/N: Yes, Snoball, that paragraph was added just for you, along with this next one. ^^)

Aria frowned in understanding and said, "Well, a lot of that started during her time at the orphanage. That's really where her personality began to build. A lot of her indifference is based on her fear of being hurt and let down again, because it seems that any time that anyone ever makes her a promise, it's broken. Considering everything that happened at the orphanage, and the way she was treated, I'm not the least bit surprised that she's turned out how she has."

"How old was Riley when she got sent there?" George asked curiously.

Aria frowned, thinking hard. "Her parents were killed when she was two, almost three, so I guess she was three; or at least _almost_ three."

"Then she was there for a while before you got there," George said, sounding surprised.

Aria nodded. "Yeah, she doesn't have any living relatives at all. Everyone in her family for the past three generations has been an only child, and her parents did have enough time to have any more kids after Riley." She frowned, her thoughts wandering to a conversation she'd had with Riley before, but she didn't mention that. She pictured a man's face, a man with black hair and blue eyes, looking over at her and Riley when they were little, but she quickly put it out of her mind. She didn't need to talk about that, not now, not ever.

George frowned and asked, "You don't think she was happy?"

Aria shook her head and said, "I _know_ she wasn't. When she first began to talk to me, she was _really_ mean. You have to remember that Riley is eight months older than I am, so when I came in, she was almost six, and she'd known nothing but a life of being alone and isolated. When I tried to make friends with her, she might as well have bitten my head off, because she yelled at me, telling me that she didn't need my pity or to be patronized by someone else."

"She said that?" George asked in surprise. "'Patronized'? A six-year-old?"

Aria nodded and said awkwardly, "Yeah, Riley has always had a large vocabulary, even at the age of six."

"What changed?" George asked, confused.

Aria frowned, not sure whether to tell George what had really happened. She could remember seeing a snake slithering on the ground, Riley standing above it with eyes filled with shock as Aria looked at her with clear eyes. Aria hesitated, and then said, "We found something that we had in common. Riley had been treated like a freak for as long as she could remember, and when she realized that we weren't that different, she began to ease up, opening herself up to the idea that I might not hate her, which was what she was used to."

"What did you two have in common?" George asked curiously.

Aria hesitated, and then said, "It doesn't matter. It was something big that she thought meant that she didn't have the right to exist, because that's what she'd been treated like, even by the woman that ran the orphanage. So, after that, she started talking to me more, trusting me a little more each day that we talked. By the time we were eight, we were inseparable." She shrugged and said, "We found a common love for magic around the time that we were eight, but I think the biggest test of our friendship was when we were six."

"What do you mean?" George asked, confused.

Aria hesitated, and then said, "When we were six, this guy came by and was looking at kids to possibly adopt. Some big Pureblood who was only interested in Pureblood kids. He was looking at me, but when he found out that I wasn't a Pureblood, he slapped me and knocked me over, causing me to hit my head and bleed. Riley – she was seven at the time – was watching, and she got so angry when he hit me that all of the windows in the orphanage broke. She didn't have to do anything; she was just that _angry _that all of the glass broke, the fire in the community fireplace flared up, and a bunch of the glass hit the man and caused him to bleed pretty badly. The man ended up leaving, terrified of Riley, but it was then that I realized just why the people of the orphanage and prospective parents hadn't wanted Riley, even when she was younger." She stopped for a moment, and then said awkwardly, "You've seen what Riley gets like when she gets angry." George nodded, and Aria continued to say, "That's the way it's always been, and I found out then – when I was six – that that particular time wasn't the first time that Riley had caused an accident like that. That was why she was never adopted, even with her pure blood and promise, because her temper often got away with her and resulted in things breaking and people getting hurt. It freaked parents out, scared them into not wanting anything to do with her or the kids she hung out with. She never had any friends, but spent most of her time in a room with small windows, _if _there were any. It was because the people at the orphanage figured that one day, Riley would break the window and leave and do some real damage. Riley grew up with the mental of image of herself as a freak, but after I forgave her and even thanked her for helping me, she started to realize that maybe there wasn't anything wrong with her, that it was the way people saw her. She saw me as someone completely new, unlike anyone she'd ever met."

"She's right," George said, standing up. "You _are _definitely a unique person."

"So is _she_," Aria admitted. "I understand what you meant earlier, by how it's hard to approach her. Well, from an early age, she found magic as a way to separate herself from everyone, to avoid human contact as a way of preventing herself from being hurt again. She burried herself up to her neck in books, always striving to make herself smarter. She wanted to be so smart that no one would want to abandon her, but in the end, she ended up doing the opposite. It's exactly like you said earlier: she made herself above everyone else, so that no one wanted to be near her because she sounded too perfect. Everyone saw her as a freak, someone that they couldn't talk to or relate to. (A/N: that's for you again, Snoball! Sorry if I spelt your name wrong) When people can't find someone that they think has any faults, they tend to dislike them, or even resent them. Well, Riley's problem is that she has so many faults, so many things 'wrong' with her. Her expulsion, her brains, her temper that results in things breaking or exploding, all of it turned people away. In the end, Riley's only attempt at making people like her ended up being one of the things that drove everyone away, everyone but me."

As Aria talked, Riley was standing on the hillside, the wind blow against her hair. Her eyes were narrowed to the wind, narrowed almost to slits. She looked down at her ring, which was on her right ring finger; rotating it with her right thumb. She looked up, the wind blowing strands of hair into her face and her eyes narrowed to slits.

"I guess, ever since that day that she defended me, I've always run to her side when she needs help. I realized, after the lady who ran the orphanage explained all of this to me, that Riley has truly been alone in this world with no one to help her. I wanted to, to help her, and since then we've been best friends, always helping one another out. If one of us is sad, the other is always there to help and defend them. Riley doesn't get scared often, or hurt, but whenever something wrong happens, I'm always there for her."

"Is that why you left Beauxbatons? To go to Silvergates with her?" George asked, raising an eyebrow as he pulled his jacket off, setting it down on the other chair.

Aria shook her head. "Not at first, no, but that's a tale all unto its own. Karkaroff felt that Riley's power was intriguing. By the time she was twelve and ready to go to magic school, she had more knowledge than _all _of his First Years, and more than some of his second years. All she needed was to be able to apply her skills. I had some knowledge, but nothing like Riley. She'd begun reading magic books at the age of six and seven; basic ones. She wanted to know _everything _there was to know; to be able to control what powers she had. When Karkaroff came to the orphanage and offered her the chance to go to school with him for free, she jumped at it. The problem was that the offer was only for her, and she didn't realize that until it was time to leave. She'd assumed that I would be going, too, but I knew from the beginning that Karkaroff didn't want me. He wanted _her_, the girl with all of the power and potential. He wanted someone strong and capable, someone who would make history and by extent, would make him famous.

"Madam Maxime came to me shortly after Karkaroff came to Riley, and she offered me a place at Beauxbatons. I accepted, and didn't tell Riley until the day before she was supposed to leave. She didn't understand it, told me that she wanted to go with me, but Madam Maxime didn't want someone like Riley. To schools, Riley is a wild card, completely unpredictable with nothing but a past as a trouble-maker and being untrustworthy and dangerous. What Madam Maxime saw as terrifying and dangerous, Karkaroff saw as treasure. Karkaroff _wanted _what Madam Maxime feared, and so we left one another. It wasn't until two weeks before our first year ended that Riley was expelled from Durmstrang, and when we returned to the orphanage for our summer break, and I found out about what happened, I helped her get through it. Just before I was to go back to France, Slater came to the orphanage and offered Riley a chance at Silvergates. When I asked if I could come to, he agreed, and I withdrew from Beauxbatons Academy. Madam Maxime was actually really upset about it, because of the potential I had in Potions.

"News spread quickly about the incident between Karkaroff and Riley, and it spread to America, where Riley and I were living on our own. There's no Social Services for the magical world, and we didn't want to stay in an orphanage again, not after everything we went through. I arranged for us to stay at hotels and apartments, and we managed to get by on our own. It wasn't until we were fourteen that Slater approached us. You see, Silvergates isn't exactly like Hogwarts; there are only four years to the educational program rather than seven, and since Americans can't practice magic whenever they want until they're eighteen, the program doesn't start until we're fourteen. When Riley left Durmstrang, she had nowhere to go and no money to support herself. It was several months before I left Beauxbatons, and I joined her back in America. She was in terrible shape, and I was glad to help her out. I had the money and opportunities that she didn't, and so we lived together and continued to study magic, even if we couldn't practice it. Once Slater invited us to join Silvergates, we jumped at the opportunity, and we've lived there ever since."

"That's good, isn't it?" George asked as he walked over to the fire, trying to warm himself up.

Aria nodded. "Yes, it was _really _good. It gave us a chance to be together and grow stronger together. Her work ethic rubbed off on me, and my cool head rubbed off on her, allowing her to learn some self-control."

George smiled and asked out of the blue, "You think Riley and Fred like each other?"

Aria was thrown by the question, but smiled as she said, "No doubt. I was watching them at the Yule Ball together, and they had this moment where they totally clicked. When we came in and went to bed, Riley was almost completely silent, not saying a word while clearly thinking about it the entire time. She would never admit it, but it was obvious that she was thinking about it. Not much can make Riley go into a deep silence like that; only a man, and she's rarely ran into any issues with men."

"Fred was the same way," George said with amusement in his eyes. "Didn't say a word that entire night, even though his mind was clearly elsewhere."

"That much be because of a little thing called jealousy," Aria said as she stood up, pulling off the towel and setting it on the chair. She walked over to stand by George at the fire, warming herself up directly by the fire. She smiled and said, "I don't think he was hurt by her dancing with Malfoy, but he was definitely jealous."

"Oh, yeah," George said, nodding in agreement. "I was talking to him after they started dancing, and he denied all claims of jealousy or interest in her, but it's definitely there."

Aria nodded and looked at the fire. "Must be awkward for her," she said aloud, imagining Riley. "Having two guys like her, and unable to be with either."

"Yeah," George said, nodding in agreement. He looked at Aria and began to rub her bare arms again, asking, "You warm enough now?"

Aria looked up at George, alarmed at how close he was, less than a few inches away as he tried to warm up her arms. "Yeah," she said. "Getting there, anyway."

George didn't say anything for several moments, his hands still on her arms, and Aria felt as though they were frozen in time, neither moving or wanting to. George asked quietly, "Am I alone in this? Or do you feel it, too?"

Aria closed her eyes, not saying anything. She didn't know what to say, what she could say. As she opened her eyes and looked up at George, she saw that he was coming in closer. His lips were almost to hers when she pulled her head down slightly, preventing him from kissing her. He stopped and pulled back slightly, frowning. The message had gotten across clear enough for anyone who'd been there to understand.

George pulled his head up, looking hurt and disappointed, but he kept his voice clear as he said, "Sorry." He let go of Aria's arms and walked over, picked up his jacket and walked out of the room, the door shutting behind him.

Aria, now alone, folded her arms and reached up with one hand, covering her mouth. She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling a combination of regret and dread. She'd wanted it so badly, but she couldn't. She couldn't do it, not to George. She couldn't lead him on, only to... She shook her head and looked down. She couldn't, even if it meant hurting the both of them.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	31. Chapter 29: Interrogate!

A/N: 2450 hits! I'm a hapy camper. Even though I'm not getting a lot of reviews, I must be doing something right, because people seem to like my story, and it's only b een up ten days. Lol. Please read and review. i hope you enjoy.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Twenty-nine: Interrogate!

* * *

The next two weeks went by in a flash. Riley was grateful when the Aurors finally finished rebuilding the Gryffindor tower. The Slytherins and Gryffindors, after rooming together for six weeks, had been at one another's throats and ready to kill. As entertaining as it had been, Riley was grateful for the chance to have some sanity. However, it wasn't until two days after the construction was finished that the kids were able to move back in, and Riley realized why when she stepped inside. All of the furniture and many of the paintings had been replaced.

Riley was surprised when, after they got the okay to return, that Aria had insisted on staying an extra night before moving her stuff back. She'd expected George to help Aria move her stuff back, but he'd said nothing, not even acknowledged that Aria was taking longer than everyone else to return. When she did move back, Riley saw the two pass one another in the common room, only for Aria to duck away and run up to the girl's dormitory, not saying a word to George, who walked out of the tower at that point.

Riley yawned as she flipped through the pages of the Daily Prophet, reading up on everything that had been written in the past week – ignoring Rita Skeeter's flashy article on the Minister – and drinking from a cup of steaming hot chocolate. Riley looked up when she heard footsteps and saw Aria and Ginny walking over. Ginny set her bag down on the table as she sat down, and Aria said a quick hello to Riley before walking over to the book shelves to pick out a book on Advanced Potions.

Ginny frowned as she looked at Riley. "You know, I know you like Transfigurations, but I _hate_ it."

Riley smiled as she said teasingly, "I guessed that by the look of absolute disgust that's on your face right now."

Ginny rolled her eyes and said disgruntledly, "McGonagall seems determined to give us no free time at all."

"Sounds like her," Riley said, shrugging as she imagined the elderly woman. "She seems like a pretty strict teacher most of the time, someone who expects a lot out of her students, but won't ask for more than she thinks is possible. She sounds exactly like the kind of teacher that I would love to have around."

Ginny frowned and said, "I guess."

Aria began to walk back over, flipping through the pages of the book she'd picked out. Riley raised an eyebrow curiously as she looked at her friend and she asked, "What are you doing?"

"What?" Aria asked, looking up at Riley through serious eyes. Her voice was flat as she said, "I'm reading. It's not a crime, is it?"

Riley was thrown by the way that Aria was talking to her, and she said awkwardly, "No, that's not what I meant."

"I'm just keeping updated on stuff," Aria said, looking back at the pages and flipping through them. "It's the only way that I'm going to get better at Potion-making."

"That book is, like, three hundred years old," Ginny pointed out, not feeling the need to point out that Aria was already better than almost everyone she knew at Potions.

"Your point?" Aria asked, shrugging and looking up and around carelessly, as if not seeing the relevance of this.

"I think you're missing the concept of the term 'updated'," Riley said teasingly.

Aria suddenly slammed the book shut and against the table, surprising both Riley and Ginny, who looked at her as though she was mad, especially when Aria yelled angrily, "Look, you wanna make fun of me? Do so elsewhere, because I don't want to hear it right now, Riley O'Malley! Now _butt out_, and mind your own business!"

"_Whoa!_" Riley said, holding her hands up defensively, her eyes narrowed and serious. "What just happened here? Did I just land in an alternate universe?" Aria's eyes flashed angrily, and Riley pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone, "Hey, if you wanted me to back off, you just made the wrong move by blowing up at me."

Before Aria could answer, her eyes still blazing, a voice suddenly said, "Hey, Ginny, I just got a letter from Mum saying-"

Riley hesitantly turned her head at the sound of another voice, not wanting to break eye-contact with Aria; but everyone turned their eyes to see George walking over, a letter and envelope in each hand. When Riley turned around, she saw that George was walking over and looking down at something in his hand. He looked up and stopped in place, his eyes wide in alarm when he saw Aria.

"What were you saying?" Ginny asked, confused.

"Aria," George said, ignoring Ginny altogether.

Riley looked between George and Aria, looking at their eyes. Both stood rigid, their eyes wide in alarm and almost terror. Aria stood up from where she'd been leaning over the table, not bothering to hold onto the book. Without saying a word, she turned around and stormed off, not even taking her book with her.

Riley and Ginny looked one another in confusion, both thinking the same thing, clearly having seen the awkward look between Aria and George. Ginny looked back at her brother and said awkwardly, "Uh, George..." But before Ginny could finish, George had already turned around and was walking away, holding onto his forehead with his right hand. He walked out of the library, leaving it in silence.

Once they were gone, Ginny turned around to face Riley, a confused look on her face. She pointed with her right hand to where George had just disappeared to. "Okay," she said awkwardly. "What was _that_?"

"I don't know," Riley said in an uncertain voice. "But something's going on, Aria having no personality whatsoever and getting angrier than I've ever seen her before at the touch of a button, George unable to talk to her and her to him, and then George walking off without delivering your mother's message?"

"Oh, yeah," Ginny said, nodding in assurance. "Something's up."

"You wanna take George while I take Aria?"

"I could," Ginny said, frowning. "But I have class again in like ten minutes, and I have a feeling that this is a conversation that will take longer than that, and I think I know of someone who would be better at talking to him."

Riley raised an eyebrow curiously, nowhere near prepared for Ginny's answer.

"All right," Riley said, walking up and grabbing the book from his hands. "We need to talk."

* * *

"What?" Fred exclaimed in surprise, sitting up straight in the chair in the Gryffindor common room. He looked around in confusion and asked, "What's going on? You _never_ stop me from doing my homework. I do and you treat it like the eighth deadly sin."

"That doesn't matter right now," Riley said, frowning as she faced Fred, folding her arms with her eyes narrowed.

"Must be serious," Fred said, looking confused and concentrating on Riley.

"It is," Riley said with a nod. "George and Aria aren't talking to one another, and Aria's so wound-up that she could blow up this entire castle with everyone in it and not be satisfied."

"They're fighting?" Fred asked, looking at Riley in disbelief. "_That's_ why you stopped me from working on my Ancient Runes assignment?"

Riley nodded and said, "This isn't you and me, who fix our problems by arguing. This is George and Aria, who don't solve their problems and don't argue. They just stand around in awkward silence and avoid each other, which does not fix the problem."

"What do you want me for?" Fred asked in confusion.

"I want you to blow up balloon animals for the next Task," Riley said sarcastically, and then hit Fred in the knee – causing him to jump and yell "Ow!" - as she yelled, "What do you _think_ I want you to do? I want you to go talk to your brother and find out his side of the story."

"You want me to give my brother relationship counseling?" Fred asked in disbelief. "I've never even been involved in a romantic relationship."

Riley ignored that last comment and said, "I want you to go to your brother, find out what happened between him and Aria, while I talk to her and find out her side of it. Maybe we can fix the problem before they get themselves dug too deeply in it."

"Why not just ask Aria?" Fred asked. "It's a lot easier than _me_ asking George, considering that he never tells me anything about his relationship with her."

Riley suddenly felt that she was at the end of her fuse. She stood up straight and said loudly and firmly, "Fred, get _off_ your lazy ass, or you're going to deal with _me_ when _I'm_ pissed."

Fred rolled his eyes in annoyance and groaned, "Fine." He stood up and asked, "You have any idea where he is?"

"Yeah," Riley said, calming down as she continued to say, "He's in the kitchen with the house-elves. I saw him on the way over." The truth was that she'd _smelled_ him when she passed the portrait of the hanging fruit, but she wasn't going to tell Fred that, since he still didn't know about her being an Animagus.

"Fine," Fred said, beginning to walk past Riley. "Meet you later to compare notes."

Fred was walking away when he heard Riley say his name. He stopped and turned back to be surprised when he saw Riley staring after him, a serious look on her face as she said in a flat voice, "Be careful. I get the feeling that this is deeper than we'd like to think."

Fred didn't say anything, but turned to walk away, leaving Riley alone.

* * *

Aria stared down at the cup of steaming hot chocolate in her hands, staring at the steam with blank eyes. Her mind was focused on one thing, and her eyes were completely empty. She didn't feel like anything, anything but regret.

"You know," a familiar voice said, and Aria saw Riley sit down on the bench across from her. They were sitting in the Main Hall, with very few other people there to listen. Riley smiled as she said, "Marshmallows go great with that. Or even better yet, drinking it is always good."

Aria blinked as she looked at Riley and asked in a flat voice, "What do you want, Riley?"

"Well, the truth about what's going on with you and George would be a good place to start," Riley said, a serious expression on her face.

"!"

…

"George," Fred as he walked into the kitchen, seeing his brother by the refrigerator, a Butterbeer in his hand. He was standing with his left hand back on the counter while holding his Butterbeer in his right hand, holding it at his hip as he stared aimlessly off into space.

George looked up in surprise as Fred walked over, and asked warily, "What are you doing here?"

"Came to talk to you," Fred said as he walked over, his hands in his pockets. "Got another one of those?" he asked, nodding to the Butterbeer.

George nodded and pointed to the refrigerator. "Get one for yourself. I know what you want to ask." When Fred raised an eyebrow, George rolled his eyes and said, "I knew once I saw Riley in the library that it was only a matter of time before she summoned her lap dog. Before you complain about the insult, you'll want to get a Butterbeer; it's going to be a _long_ conversation."

…

Aria blinked at Riley and said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Riley."

"Bologna," Riley said without hesitation. "I know you, Aria Hardwick, better than anyone, even yourself. I know when you're lying, and when you start telling me to 'butt out and mind my own business'..." She saw Aria's eyes close, as though scolding herself. Riley continued to say, "I know that something's going on, and based on that awkward look that you and George shared, I'm guessing that it has to do with him."

…

"I was told by my master – as you put it – that you and Aria are fighting," Fred said as he narrowed his eyes irritably. He noticed George look down awkwardly, not responding. Fred frowned and asked, "What's going on, George?"

"Well, we're not _fighting_, per say," George said, sounding unsure of himself and nervous.

"Then what _would_ you call it?" Fred asked, his curiosity growing by the second. All of a sudden, it wasn't about what Riley had wanted him to do, but about his own curiosity.

…

"'_Mutual avoiding'_ would be more like it," Aria said, tapping at her mug with her fingernails.

"And why would you two be avoiding each other?" Riley asked, confused. "I mean, you two are all but-" She stopped when she saw aria glare at her through narrowed eyes, and Riley's eyes widened in surprise and understanding. "_Oh!_" she said, sounding surprised.

…

"I like Aria," George said, looking somewhere between the ground and Fred.

"Yeah, so?" Fred asked, confused. "I told you a while to take a leap and go with your gut instinct. Multiple times, in fact."

"Oh, I took a leap, all right," George said, his eyes widening and his voice emphasizing as he spoke. "And let's just say that things are going to be a _little awkward_ between us for a while now."

Fred raised an eyebrow and asked with interest, "Really? How's that?"

…

"He _kissed_ you?" Riley asked in disbelief and amazement.

"Tried," Aria corrected, looking uncomfortably at her mug.

"Oookay," Riley said, confused. "That means that either he did a bad job, or..."

…

"She stopped in the middle of it?" Fred asked with amazement.

"Not in the _middle_," George corrected, looking both embarrassed and uncomfortable. "_Before_."

"_What?_" Fred asked, confused.

George frowned and said, "Well, I kind of leaned in to kiss her and she... pulled away. She didn't say anything, but the message was more than clear."

…

Aria tapped the table top with her fingertips and she said uncomfortably, "When I pulled away, he said 'Sorry' and just left."

"He didn't stay and talk?" Riley asked in surprise, and then realized how dumb the question was.

Aria looked at Riley through narrowed eyes in disbelief and said, "I'd just _rejected_ him; what do _you_ think? Would you really want to hang around and _talk_ after something like that?"

…

"Of course I didn't stay around," George said, leaning back against the counter. He reached up and ran his hands over his eyes. "You know," he said as he pulled his hand off of his face and turned his head to the side, a serious look in his eyes, "I _actually_ thought she liked me back. I read everything she did as interest, all of the time we've spent together, being together in the way that we were at the ball..." He rolled his eyes and muttered, "I was so stupid."

"You weren't stupid," Fred said with a roll of his eyes. "She _does_ like you. _That's_ not the problem."

"Yeah? Then what is it?" George demanded, looking back at his brother through narrowed eyes. "Explain to me that the one girl I've ever _really_ liked apparently likes me back, and yet won't show it."

…

Aria sighed and said aloud, "You were right, Riley, when you talked about why you couldn't date Malfoy." She shrugged and said, "We're not here to date. We're here for the Tournament, to compete and return home. Your next Task is in a little over two weeks, and then we have two months before the last one. Then we're gone, and after that we'll never be coming back. What am I going to do, lead him on for the next two months and then just leave?" She shook her head and looked down at her mug, muttering, "It's easier to just remain friends than test those waters, since they lead absolutely nowhere except drowning."

"Did you tell him that?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow.

Aria shrugged and looked up at Riley, saying, "It's like I said, he didn't exactly want to stay around and talk."

…

"Do I think that there's a reason for her turning me down?" George asked, sounding rather annoyed and sarcastic. "Sure, she doesn't want me."

"You know, brother, I understand that this concept has always been a little foggy for you," Fred said after finishing a drink of his Butterbeer, "But there _is_ a chance that you're wrong, and that there's another explanation."

"I doubt it," George muttered, looking down at his Butterbeer with a frown, not even seeming interested in it now.

"That doesn't mean that it's not true, and you'll never know if you don't talk to her," Fred pointed out. He took a last drink and threw the bottle into the trash, saying aloud as he turned around to walk away, "You haven't lost her yet, so don't let her go just because you're too proud to talk."

…

"Let me guess," Aria said, frowning seriously. "You think I should talk to him?"

"Do you like him?" Riley asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Of course," Aria said, looking at Riley. "That's not even a question."

"Then I think that you should do whatever it takes to hold onto him," Riley said, standing up with her eyes looking down at Aria. "He's a good guy, Aria, and he deserves the truth." With that, she turned around and began to walk away, not saying another word.

* * *

Half an hour later, Fred was walking into the Gryffindor common room, his eyes firm and serious as he thought about his conversation with George earlier, about the look in his eyes as he'd confessed the truth. Fred closed his eyes, wishing that he had as much courage as his brother, but he knew that he didn't, and had accepted it a while ago.

Fred was walking into the center of the common room when he saw someone sitting in one of the chairs facing the fireplace. He walked over, positive that he knew who it was, and confirmed his suspicions when he saw Riley sitting there, her legs crossed, hands folded on her lap, and eyes serious as she looked into the fire.

"I was wondering when you were going to get back," Riley said, her voice flat.

"I took a detour getting back," Fred explained as he sat down in the chair facing Riley's. "Wanted to think for a while."

"You talk to George?" Riley asked, still not turning her head to face Fred.

"You talk to Aria?" Fred retorted, but kept his voice serious and calm.

"Yeah," Riley said, as serious as though she was thinking about something extremely intensely.

Fred frowned and said, "I talked to George."

They sat in silence for several moments before Riley said, "He's not going to confront her, is he?"

"I don't know," Fred admitted as he shrugged. "I hope so, but I could see him going either way."

"Same for her," Riley said, blinking. She hesitated, and then said, "She turned him down because she didn't want to toy with his feelings, to lead him on and then have to drop him when we leave. She doesn't want him to fall in love with her, only to have to leave him almost immediately afterward."

"That's stupid," Fred said, shrugging and shaking his head in disbelief.

"Is it?" Riley asked, turning her cold, blank gaze upon Fred. His eyes narrowed in alarm when he saw hers, completely cold and hardened, as though she'd been completely drained of all life and happiness. Her voice was similar as she asked, "She'll be gone, and he'll be staying here. What kind of relationship can they possibly have when they will never see each other and live with an ocean between them?"

"They can try," Fred pointed, his voice clear as he looked into Riley's eyes. He understood the words behind what she was saying, the look in her eyes as well as the feelings that he felt, himself. She wasn't just talking about his brother and her friend.

"For what?" Riley asked, her voice giving nothing away. "A vague idea of a relationship that barely exists? Tying themselves down to a single person and preventing themselves from growing, only allowing themselves to be set up for pain?" She blinked and said, "Aria was right; it's easier to feel the pain of rejection and move on now than to fall in love and lose it."

"That's a choice that he has the right to make for himself," Fred point out.

"Not when it's not only his heart on the line," Riley said, her eyes deadening as they drilled into his.

Fred felt as though they air could have ignited on fire at any time, the tension in the air so great that Fred feared he would choke on it. Still, he didn't look away. He knew that if he did, his point would be lost due to intimidation. Finally, Riley closed her eyes and stood up, turning to walk away. She headed over to the stairs that led to the girls' dorm, only to stop and look back to say in a cold voice, "I'm going to spend the next few weeks with my classmates, preparing for the next Task. I hope you can continue with your homework yourself, using the notes we've collected together."

Fred blinked and said under his breath, "I'll manage."

Riley said nothing in return, but turned around to walk up the stairs, leaving Fred alone in the room. He let out a sigh through his nose, leaning his head over and running his hands through his hair, pulling them back to fold them in front of his mouth. He looked over at the fire, still sitting with his elbows propped on his knees and expression serious as he looked into the fire. He knew that what Riley was saying was true, but he didn't want to accept it. Somewhere between logic and emotion, he was lying in utter confusion, not sure which way to lean toward. But there was one thing that he did know.

George wasn't the only one who had been rejected by a Silvergates girl today, and Fred suddenly understood exactly how his brother felt.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY!


	32. Chapter 30: The Third Task

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Thirty: The Third Task

* * *

The day had come. It was the day of the Third Task, and Harry had no idea what awaited him as he got dressed.

Harry walked up the stair steps and into Dumbledore's office, where he found Riley and Krum standing and talking. She was once again wearing her black vest and a white tanktop, which Harry had grown to expect as her normal choice of attire. The difference was that her eyes weren't as bright as they normally were, and hadn't been for the last couple of weeks, though Harry wasn't sure why.

The fact was that Harry had seen very little of Riley over the last few weeks, the last two weeks in particular. The few times he'd seen her, she'd been with Jake, Aaron and the other Silvergates students, primarily a thirteen-year-old boy named Tim, a sixteen-year-old boy named David, and a fifteen-year-old boy named Zane. She'd barely spent any time, even at dinner, with the Hogwarts kids, but abruptly isolated herself from everyone in Hogwarts. She spent dinner with her classmates, but didn't seem to enjoy it. Harry had noticed that Riley and Fred didn't spend anywhere near as much time together as they had only a few weeks before, and even when they were together, they didn't have the same laughter and amusement to their conversations that they once had. George and Aria spent very little time together, and when they were caught in the same room, there was an awkward feeling in the atmosphere, and Harry had no clue as to why. When he'd approached Ginny and asked her if she'd noticed anything, she'd admitted that it had been going on for nearly a month between George and Aria, but said nothing about Riley and Aria. Harry wondered how much of that was due to withholding information, as she was one of Riley's closest friends, or how much of it was she was hurt because Riley wasn't spending much time with her; she spent more time with Ginny than any of the other Gryffindors by far, these days.

"Harry, Riley, Viktor…"

Harry turned his head and saw Bagman walk into the room with Fleur and Cedric. They all lined up and waited for Bagman to give them their instructions.

Bagman nodded and began giving instructions, looking more hyper than normal. "Well, aren't we all in a good and cheerful mood today? All of you, looking so prepared and ready, it's enough to make me want to get on the field myself. Now it's time to explain the rules of the Third Task. Like the first one, it's meant to test your daring, but also to test what you've learned about magical creatures, charms and many other things you've learned. What you will be doing is going through a maze."

Riley frowned. _A maze?_

Bagman nodded, as though seeing the surprised looks on everyone's faces. "Yes, a maze. There are five entrances, one for each Champion. You will each enter the maze at the same time. The basic set-up of the Champions' feats (A/N: challenges) will be the same. However the way they appear may be different." He frowned. "But be cautious. Within this maze you will be tested by the darkest of things you can imagine, by the worst things you've come to known and haven't seen." He nodded and said, "You will all enter the maze at the same time. You may choose which entrance you want as we walk out. Do you all understand?"

All five Champions nodded and followed Bagman out of the castle and to the Quidditch field, which contained a large maze made of what appeared to be solid, dark black stone. Riley and Harry both chose positions at entrances to the maze, as did the three other Champions.

* * *

From above, in the top stand of the arena, Aria was looking down from her seat when she heard a voice from above her and on her right side. "Mind if I sit here?"

Aria looked up and blinked in surprise when she saw George and Fred standing in the aisle beside her. Aria felt both anxious and excited when she saw them. George was the one that had asked, looking down at her with blank eyes, though his voice sounded like he was attempting to be friendly. Aria held a hand out in gesture to the seats beside her. George and Fred made their way in front of Aria, sitting down beside her, George sitting right next to her with Fred on his other side. Aria looked from the boys to the field, seeing Riley stand with her arms folded and weight shifted to her right, the look of her being confident in herself without worry.

_You can do it, Riley,_ Aria thought to herself. Aria glanced at Fred and saw that he was looking down coolly, a blank expression on his face. When she saw this, she frowned. She'd noticed than ever since admitting the truth about what had happened between her and George to Riley, Riley and Fred had been on something of a time-out, not spending much time together. They would still talk when Riley came into the common room while he was there, but it was much more formal, less humorous as factual. Aria had the nagging feeling that she was responsible for this, her and George. Still, having them at least ask to sit by her was a sign of good will, she hoped.

* * *

Riley watched Bagman as he held the wand to his neck and spoke out loudly, his voice ringing throughout the air, "These five Champions will now take their positions as they prepare to attack the Maze of Shadow and Stone. Within this maze, the walls may appear to be solid, but many things can appear and come forth from them, and shall. These five Champions will brave things unknown to them and face challenges on both a mental, physical and emotional standing. And worst of all, they will have to face a choice that could be both deadly and exhilarating. So, good luck to the Champions, and you can begin… now!" he yelled, shooting red sparks out of his wand and up into the air.

* * *

Harry darted off into the maze, his wand at the ready as he raced through the maze. He was surprised when he ran straight into a wall. He looked closely and saw an indention in the wall that looked strangely like a cup. He set his hand against the wall and wondered just what was going on. Then he looked to his side and saw Faux (?) sitting on a perch, staring at him and blinking.

"Faux?" Harry asked in confusion, looking from the bird to the wall. Then he realized what must be the idea behind this. He held his wand out, tapped three times and said clearly, "_Feraverto._"

A moment later, Faux turned into a silver water goblet. Harry grabbed the goblet and placed it into the indention. It fit perfectly. A moment later, the wall began reshaping and turned into an open walkway. Harry smiled and ran through.

Riley smiled as she ran through the maze. Transfiguring that porcupine into a pincushion and then finding the five red pins within the fifty stuffed into it was a cinch, which made putting the needles in the wall and passing through easy enough.

Riley saw a dementor appear from within the wall further ahead of her. It turned and began flying at her, its black and ugly body flying in mid-air. Riley stopped in her place and held her wand forward toward it. She then yelled, "_Expecto Patronum_!" Immediately, a silver tiger erupted from her wand and chased the dementor off, roaring and leaping at it, leaving Riley alone to run through the maze again.

* * *

Aria stared down through the top of the maze, watching excitedly as Harry battled a skrewt and beat it and as Riley beat the dementor.

"How are they doing?" George asked, trying to watch from where he sat.

"Riley just beat a dementor and Harry made it past a skrewt," Aria said aloud. She noticed that Fred's expression hadn't changed, and she wondered if he even cared how Riley did, a thought that both angered and confused her. Still, she went on to say, "They're both doing well, though Harry's in front of everybody at the moment."

"Yes," was all that Fred said. "That's good."

All Aria did was narrow her eyes, wanting to slap Fred for his cold attitude. She'd thought that George's was bad enough, but watching Fred be like this to Riley... Aria suddenly understood why Riley had been so angry with her and George, treating each other in the same way that she now saw Fred treating Riley.

* * *

Harry raced through battling a snake, (using his Parstletongue and a stunning spell) facing and undoing a charm on an invisible barrier that wouldn't allow him through, and making a potion that allowed for him to break through a barrier put up in a hedge-lined archway. He had a feeling he was ahead of the others, but he had no way of knowing that for sure. Then, just as he poured the potion into a built in hole on a table, the archway opened up for Harry. Harry ran through it and looked around, confused when he saw nothing but a trunk and a closet-like chest. Then, he heard a strange crackling noise.

* * *

"Oh, no," Aria said, her eyes wide as she realized what was going on.

"What's wrong?" George asked worriedly, looking at Riley. Fred had raised an eyebrow and looked at Aria, but said nothing.

"I hope I'm wrong," Aria said, though she knew she wasn't.

* * *

Harry was surprised when he saw Riley appear in the circular room through a similar archway to the one that he'd entered through, which closed behind her.

Riley frowned, clearly as surprised to see Harry as he was to see her. "_Harry?_" she asked in surprise. "What are _you _doing here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing," Harry said, his eyes narrowed in confusion. He looked around him. "They must have intended to put groups together, though I can't imagine why."

* * *

"See?" Aria said, letting George and Fred look through her binoculars. "Fluer, Cedric and Krum got put in the same room also."

"So?" George asked, confused.

* * *

Riley turned her head and saw the closet shaking. She narrowed her eyes and pointed her wand toward it, not knowing what was inside. "_Alohamora!"_ she yelled, and the door flung open.

All of a sudden, a dementor came flying out at Harry and flew right for him. Harry felt a rush of cold run through him as he saw his worst fear flying at him, knowing what it could do. Then, in a moment of clarity, Harry pointed his wand at the dementor and yelled, "_Expecto patronum!"_

The silver stag flew right through the dementor, not affecting it at all. Harry blinked in surprise and then pointed the wand back at it, realizing that it was a boggart. "_Riddikulus_!"

The dementor then spun around and turned into a little black doll in a dress. He had to laugh when he saw that the doll looked very much like Snape. But it was cut off when he heard Riley's voice yell. He spun around and saw her surrounded by a circle of black and orange flames that seemed to reach up at least thirty feet into the air, surrounding her in a circle without hope of escape.

"_Harry!_" Riley yelled in panic, her eyes wide in terror and her voice similar.

Harry had never seen Riley so panicked, except for possibly the night that the castle had burned. Something about this, though, told Harry that this was worse, was making her even more afraid. He watched and saw through the flames that her eyes were wide, huge. Then, he saw something that he didn't understand. He saw the pupils of her eyes change, and could have sworn he saw the look in her eyes change, the pupils themselves changing, and her ears begin to point.

* * *

"I knew it!" Aria exclaimed, getting to her feet along with most of the crowd, her eyes wide with disbelief. "It's a boggart, and not an easy one to defeat, either, not for Riley anyway. It's _fiend_ fire, _again_!"

"What?" Fred asked in alarm as he stood up, showing concern and interest for Riley for the first time since the Task had started nearly twenty minutes ago.

* * *

Harry pointed his wand at the flames and yelled, "_Aquius tempestas!_"

A blast of water erupted from the end of his wand at hit the flames, but they didn't do anything. He couldn't understand what was going on. Then he realized that these weren't normal flames. They didn't have the orange and red color with a blue heart; they were orange with black tips and a heart of black magic.

Fiendfyre.

* * *

"It's Fiendfyre," Hermione said from beside Aria, her eyes wide in shock and horror. "_That's_ her worst fear?"

"That explains her reaction to the fire when the castle burned," Ron pointed out.

Aria looked at Hermione as she said in confusion. "I realize that you don't want to go anywhere near Fiendfyre, because it's nearly impossible to destroy, but I've never heard of it being someone's worst fear."

Aria shook her head. "If Riley doesn't calm down and find a way out, she'll lose a lot more than this competition."

* * *

A/N: I know I probably confused people by jumping around a lot in this chapter, similar to the last chapter, but I had fun with it, and the story behind the fiend fire will come up in a later chapter. Probably around the Yule Ball or Christmas or something. And in case you were wondering, no, I do not plan on pairing up Harry and Riley. That thing at the beginning was just there to be there. Anyway, ttyl. R&R.

A/N 2: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!


	33. Chapter 31: A Hissing Surprise

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirty-one: A Hissing Surprise

* * *

"Riley!" Harry yelled. "Get out of there! Turn the boggart into something funny!"

"I, I can't!" Riley yelled helplessly, the pupils in her eyes changing form, going back and forth between two different shapes. "My wand!"

Harry looked down and saw that Riley's wand lay beside his foot. As he leaned down and picked it up, he looked up to see something black fly through the flames. He then recognized it to be a black wolf, the same wolf that he'd seen in the woods before the First Task. The wolf landed hard and tumbled across the ground, fire burning its shoulder. The wolf let out a yowl of pain as it landed, spinning over on the ground until, at last, it stopped moving, lying on its side with its shoulder skin burning, the fur disintegrating as it did. Suddenly, the wolf began to change forms, morphing into a human form, revealing Riley, the fire having engulfed her jacket sleeve and reached her shoulder, but now doing nothing but melting into her skin.

* * *

"And it seems that Miss O'Malley has been hurt and temporarily escaped the boggart that she now faces," Bagman said aloud, everyone in the crowd listening with interest. "Miss O'Malley, who had been tying Harry for first in the race, now faces off against the final detours with their fellow Champions working at a similar speed. It's anyone's game now, especially since Mr. Cedric Diggory seems to have gotten himself scratched by the werewolf that he was facing..."

"Riley!" Aria yelled, standing up and screaming. As she did, the rest of the crowd rose, all seeing what was going on, though only Aria knew the truth about Riley turning into a wolf. Everyone else would suspect she used regular Transfiguration, and appeared to think that this scene was amazing, as they all began to cheer loudly. But Aria knew quite a bit about Fiendfyre, including why it would terrify Riley so much. Aria knew that if there was anyone who could put it out, it would be Riley, but if she didn't do it fast, she would undoubtedly die.

* * *

"Albus!" McGonagall exclaimed. "We _must_ do something!"

"What do you suggest, Minerva?" Dumbledore looked at his friend. There was sadness in his eyes, the twinkle that was usually there now gone and filled with regret. "When she was chosen as a Champion, her life was put on the line. I cannot interfere, even if I want to. The Goblet of Fire won't allow it. She must continue or die."

"But the next part of the Task…" McGonagall began, looking terrified.

"Professor," Slater said to McGonagall. "Believe me, I don't want her to die any more than you, but my uncle is right. There's nothing that we can do to help her, or stop her from continuing." He smiled knowingly and said confidently, "But don't worry, she'll make it out alive."

"How can you be sure of that?" McGonagall asked angrily, her confusion and disbelief nearly overpowering her concern and fear.

Slater merely smirked, a look of arrogance and confidence in his eyes as he spoke. "There's a lot more to Riley than meets the eyes, more than any of us give her credit for." _I may not like or trust that girl,_ he thought to himself, _But there's a reason that she's my student, and it's not just because of her blood. There's no student in my school that is more capable of getting themselves out of terrible fixes than Riley O'Malley, or anyone who will go to any lengths to succeed, even if it means putting her own life in danger at the same time. She's absolutely insane, but that insanity comes out of her brilliance and skill; and it's that insanity and talent that will bring her through this alive._

"What are you talking about?" McGonagall demanded frantically.

"You'll see," Slater said, dipping his head to her.

* * *

"Harry!" Riley yelled, reaching out her uninjured left hand. "My wand!"

Harry thrust the wand to her on instinct, not even thinking as he stared at her wound. Riley caught the wand and in the same movement, looked behind her, pointed it at the fire and yelled, "_Riddikulus!_" as the fire came blazing toward her, like a lion cat on the prowl of its prey.

A bright flash of blue light erupted from Riley's wand and it hit the fires. It spun around in a misty circle, and as Harry looked down at Riley, he saw the flames reflecting in her eyes. Then, as he looked back at the boggart, he watched as it took on the new form of a jack in the box bouncing around with a hat that had flame designs on it.

Suddenly, Harry felt a rush of energy, and worry for his friend. He ran over to Riley's side. "Riley!" he exclaimed as he knelt down beside her.

"Harry," Riley rasped in obvious pain, sitting up as she clung to her wand. "Go to that door. It's the only way of getting out of here."

"You're hurt, Riley," Harry said, looking at her blackened arm.

Riley's eyes shook and she gasped for air before responding, her words coming out in a shaky rasp. "Don't worry, I've got a few minutes. It didn't get the chance to consume my body. The fire's infecting my arm and if it's not cured within the next few minutes, it'll attack my bones and kill me. You have to get out and get me help."

"But back there…" Harry began. "The flames…"

Riley grabbed Harry by the collar, her eyes wide. "I know you know about me," she rasped, her voice dry and hoarse. "You know about my being an Animagus." She smiled weakly. "Get out. My wolf side is strong enough to keep me going, to keep me alive for the meantime."

Harry hesitated, then stood up and walked over to the large door. He set a hand on the door and saw a snake engraved into it. He winced as the engraving pricked his finger and a small amount of blood fell on the snake on the door. Then Harry's eyes widened as he heard the door begin to creak open, along with the sound of something low and sizzling, almost like a hamburger in a frying pan.

"Harry!" Riley yelled, her voice suddenly in panic, but groggily as she gasped for air and liquid began to fill in her lungs, her organs slowly shutting down. "Get out of there! _Now! Get out!_"

Harry backed up, confused. Then his eyes began to widen as he saw a humungous silver snake begin to emerge from the door, the size of which Harry hadn't seen in two years since he had encountered the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. But this time, he saw that the snake had blue eyes, not golden, which proved that it wasn't a basilisk. He pulled his wand out, ready to fight, when the snake shot out across the room and spun around him, knocking Harry's wand across the room. The snake's head raised and its mouth opened, its fangs baring as it prepared to go in for the kill. Harry's eyes widened, unable to think for the first time in the tournament. He hadn't felt this scared since the dragon had chased him.

"_Finally,_" the snake hissed in Parstletongue, which Harry found that he could easily understand. The snake tightened its coils "_Fresh meat. It's been a while since I've had Man blood._"

"And you'll be waiting longer yet!" a voice groaned.

Harry saw a bright blue flash hit the snake. It convulsed and released slightly on Harry, giving him enough room to climb the snake's back and jump out of the way. He then saw that Riley had managed to get to her feet, slouching over heavily, her wand in her left hand and her right shoulder sagging. She was panting hard, sweating like a fountain, and clearly in more pain than imaginable. But in spite of her pain, she stood there, her wand at ready as she prepared to fight this huge snake. Her eyes were narrowed and determined, more emotion in them than Harry had seen in weeks.

Then Harry saw that there was a fresh cut on the back of her right hand and he realized what she had done in an instant. She had cut herself to give the snake fresh blood and make it realize that she was injured and supposedly weaker.

"_Fool_," the snake hissed. "_You should have let me have the boy. One is all I desire. But now that I see that you are weaker, I'll choose you_."

As the snake leapt at Riley, Riley held up her wand and yelled, "_Sectum sempra!_"

A huge flash of light hit the snake and sent it flying up against the wall, making it crack some and shake, shaking the entire stadium.

"_Whoa!_" Fred yelled, grabbing onto the rail of the stadium for balance as he tried to get as close as possible. His eyes were huge and impressed. "Now, _that's_ power!"

The snake shook its head as it got up again, spitting in anger. It rounded on Riley again, but before it could get to her, Harry ran over, grabbed his wand, pointed it at the snake and yelled, "_Reducto_!"

The spell barely missed the snake. But it got its attention. It rounded on Harry and thrust its head toward him. Harry tried to dodge the snake, but one of the fangs dug into Harry's left arm. Harry yelled in pain and shock as the poison and fang dug into his arm. His head fell back, his free arm falling limp as the shock of the impact ran through his body, every instinct telling him to pull away, but he couldn't. He was being held in place.

"_Finally_," he heard the snake hiss as it got a taste of his blood.

"And that's all you'll ever get!" a low, cracked voice yelled.

Harry, whose eyes had been slammed shut as he focused on the pain, heard the snake scream as its fang withdrew from Harry's arm. He was left panting and sweating, feeling the poison at work already. He looked up to see Riley standing on the snake's neck, something sticking straight through its neck. She then ripped out a silver sword with her left hand. She then fell back and down, hitting the ground hard as the sword fell down beside her.

The snake screamed loudly and in such a high pitched scream that it hurt everyone's ears. Harry had to grab his ears to block out the noise, as did everyone else in the area.

Riley barely heard the scream of the snake. She could barely feel her own sweat as it worked its way over her body. She could only feel the burning sensation of the fiend fire working through her body. She knew that after summoning the sword, the snake had broken her wand, which she could now see lying in splinters about ten feet away from her, beyond the sword, whose silver blade was covered in the snake's red blood.

_Harry_, Riley thought, but she couldn't get the word out of her choked throat. Her vision was beginning to fade, growing fuzzier and fuzzier until she couldn't tell object from person.

* * *

"Oh, no," Aria whispered, her eyes filled with fear. She ran off, her eyes huge as she raced as fast as possible down the stairs and down the hallway that led to the entrance of the stadium. Her heart was racing fast, her blood pounding so hard that she could hear the "Thump, Thump" in her head even louder than the sound of Bagman's voice over the speaker.

George and Fred ran after Aria, Ron and Hermione not far behind. "Aria!" George yelled. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"_No!_" Aria rasped, unable to speak any louder as she ran as fast as she possibly could. _No, Riley! You can't die now! Hold on!_

* * *

Riley felt the thud of the snake hitting the ground, dead. Then she heard the sound of rushing footsteps and looked up to see Harry kneel beside her. "Harry," Riley rasped, feeling as though speaking were taking all of her remaining strength. "Go get the flask within the door. It was meant for this very reason. They knew that it was possible for someone to get hurt by that snake, so they prepared. I saw it before the snake came out. It's an all-cure potion."

Harry immediately ran over to the door entrance. He saw a table in the center of the entrance with a flask of clear silver potion. He picked it up and as he looked up, he saw that outside of the door was the end of the maze. He stood in his place for a moment, immobilized. He was almost there. The exit was right in front of him. Then he remembered Riley and spun around, running over to her side.

"Come on, Riley," Harry said in a determined voice as he began to help Riley to her feet. "You're going to make it out of here. You can't quit on me now."

"No," Riley rasped, alarmed by the amount of liquid and blood that was filling her lungs as she spoke. Still, she managed to rasp, "Harry, take the potion. It will help you. Get out of here. You'll win. I can smell the others; they're still in their area. If you leave now, you can win."

"We're getting out together," Harry said, positioning Riley's weight on himself.

Riley swallowed back the saliva building up in her mouth, struggling to say, "Don't..."

"You're making it through this Task," Harry argued, though he felt his body surge with pain and throb as certain muscles spasmed, threatening to cause him and Riley to fall. Still, he said through gritted teeth, "You were amazing back there, and I won't let you not get rewarded for it, not when it's because of me that you weren't able to pass on."

The two slowly made their way forward, the people in the stands cheering louder than ever. Harry felt a rush of relief and gratitude when they reached the end, and everyone in the stands cheered even louder. He could hear Bagman crying out in cheer as they finished, and Harry set Riley down on the ground, falling to his knees.

"Here," Harry panted, pushing the potion into her hand. "You take it. Your wound has been there longer. It needs treating far more than mine right now."

Harry froze in his spot when he saw a smile on Riley's face that looked to be both sad and happy. "No," Riley rasped, and Harry could hear how hard it was for her to breathe, as though every breath took a year off of her life. "Tell Fred, I'm sorry about what I said. I shouldn't have said it; I didn't want to, but I didn't think I had any other choice."

Before he could protest, Riley sat up with the last bit of energy she had in her and she smashed the bottle on Harry's forearm, right above the wound. He yelled as the potion drained into his wound, along with the glass from the broken flask. He could feel the potion work throughout his veins. It stung like nothing he had ever known before, like fire working its way from within his body, outward. Then he felt a cooling sensation and within moments he felt fine, as though nothing wrong had happened.

Harry was about to say something to Riley when his heart dropped into his stomach. He was looking down at her, but she wasn't looking back up at him anymore.

* * *

Aria ran to a stop, her eyes wide in alarm as she looked down at where Harry was kneeling, Riley at his knees. Terror filled her, her eyes wide with alarm and panic as she looked down at her friend. She began gasping for air, feeling as though it had all been taken from her lungs, fear filling her as much as horror.

Harry heard Aria ran up, but he couldn't look over at her. His eyes were only on Riley. She had fallen back to the ground and now her eyes were closed. He didn't see her chest rising and falling, and in that moment, Harry felt his own heart stop.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!


	34. Chapter 32: Live Or Die

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirty-two: Live or Die

* * *

The next few moments seemed to whiz by like an airplane blowing right past Harry's ear. He could hear _only_ his heartbeat, which seemed to race faster than anything he'd ever heard of. He couldn't hear the sound of footsteps as they came rushing through, or feel the weight of a person shoving him to the side as Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall came crashing through, Jake not far behind them. Madame Pomfrey and Jake began working on Riley immediately, but Harry could barely comprehend what they were doing. He didn't even notice them as they pulled out their wands. Harry's eyes were fixed upon Riley's face, her eyes closed and her head leaned to the side, no longer looking at him.

Harry slowly turned his head and saw that Aria had backed up to stand further down the hallway, leaning against the wall, doubled over and covering her mouth. Her eyes were clamped shut and she was crying, unable to stop. Fred and George came running down the stairs, every movement seeming to happen in slow motion to Harry. The twins stopped when they reached the bottom of the staircase, their eyes looking in each direction. George said something to Aria, but she didn't say anything back. He just walked up and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she cried. Fred, however, wasn't looking at Aria, but straight at Riley. His chest heaved from the running, but his eyes were filled with alarm and horror as he looked over at the teachers as they tried to revive Riley.

Harry couldn't look at Fred's face; he felt that he didn't have the right to. He couldn't bring himself to look into his friend's eyes when he knew that he had had the way to cure Riley, but she'd turned around and used it on him. How could he tell Fred that? How could he bear to see that expression on his face?

Fred slowly began to walk over, his eyes glued to Riley as Madame Pomfrey and Jake worked on her, yelling out orders that Harry couldn't hear or understand. He didn't speak, or even listen to anyone.

"Get out of the way!" Madame Pomfrey yelled as she and the others stormed through the area, levitating Riley as they moved, not wanting to touch her and risk hurting her even more.

Fred slipped to the side, his eyes glued to Riley's empty face as they ran by with her. He hesitated, and then said aloud to Harry, his voice completely flat, "What happened?"

Harry couldn't say anything. He couldn't _feel_ anything. In fact, he wasn't sure how he got to the hospital wing, as though it had happened within an instant. All he knew was that he was now sitting outside of the hospital wing on a bench, Aria and George further down the hallway, talking while George held a hand on Aria's shoulder, Aria barely seeming to hear him. Fred was standing on the opposite side of the hallway as Harry, his hands in his pockets as he looked down at the floor with empty eyes.

"Fred," Harry said aloud in an awkward voice. "I'm sorry."

"Don't blame yourself, Harry," Fred muttered, though the look in his eyes was anything but forgiving. "They're working hard to make sure that she doesn't..." He couldn't find the words to finish his statement.

Harry hesitated, and then said, "I had the cure."

"_What?_" Fred asked, looking up at Harry through confused eyes, as though Harry had spoken in Latin right in front of him.

Harry swallowed hard, struggling to find the words to say and the strength to say them. "At the last obstacle, there was an all-purpose cure that she could have used to heal herself of the Fiendfyre's effects, but instead of using it on herself, she smashed the bottle on my arm." He held his hand up, revealing the gash where the snake's fang had entered his arm. "I'd been bitten by a snake and... and..." He couldn't finish his sentence, just lowered his head and ran his hands through his hair as he tried to calm himself down and bear the pain that he felt.

Fred's eyes narrowed for a second as he looked at Harry's arm, and then he blinked slowly before he said in a calm voice, "It's okay. She knew what she was doing."

Harry looked up at Fred in surprise, not having expected that as his response. "_What?_" Harry asked, confused.

Fred said, "She must have known what she was doing, when she used the potion on you. Riley's not the type to just blindly do something. She knew what she was doing when she risked her life for yours."

Harry hesitated, and then said, "There's something else, Fred." Fred raised an eyebrow at Harry, but said nothing. Harry hesitated for several moments, not sure whether to pass on the message. "Riley wanted me to tell you... that she's sorry about what she said. She said that she didn't want to say it, but that she didn't feel she had any other choice. I don't know what that means, but that's what she told me to tell you."

Fred's eyes widened for a moment, and Harry thought that he looked like he wanted to say something. Instead, he just lowered his head and closed his eyes, not saying a word. He turned away and walked down the hallway, leaving Harry behind, wondering what it was that Riley had said to Fred, and why it had such a great impact on him.

* * *

Word didn't come for over an hour. By then, Krum and Cedric had come down with Professor Dumbledore and Slater. The two headmasters made their way into the wing to be with Riley and those taking care of her, while Cedric and Krum stayed behind to tell them that Riley and Harry had won the Task, and that because of Riley's final act of heroism, and quick thinking with the snake, that she was now tied with Cedric and Harry for first places. The news, though, didn't seem to appeal to anyone. They all stood outside the medical wing, and Harry had to both admire and question Cedric for being down here. He and Riley hadn't been close, not like Krum and Harry had been to Riley. Still, he stayed down here with them, and Harry had to admire him for that. The Champions weren't best friends by any means, but they'd all grown closer to one another during the last several months, in spite of where they were from and that they were competitors.

Harry was seriously considering whether or not it was appropriate to leave to go to the bathroom when McGonagall came out of the medical wing, a serious look on her face as she looked around. "Miss O'Malley is alive," she said, surprising everyone. Aria let out a sigh of relief, closed her eyes, and walked down the hallway and away from everyone. George hesitated, and then followed her away.

Harry and Fred smiled at one another, both looking incredibly relieved. McGonagall frowned and said to Harry, "Potter, Professor Dumbledore and Headmaster Slater would like to speak with you."

Harry nodded and stood up. He was about to walk toward McGonagall when Fred asked uncertainly, "Can I stay with her?"

Harry couldn't help but smile slightly, thankful that Fred was showing some sort of loyalty to Riley again after the recent awkwardness between the two.

McGonagall looked surprised by the request, only for her eyes to shift with understanding She nodded as she said simply, "I don't see why not, but she hasn't woken up yet, and it could be a while before she does."

Fred didn't say anything, but made his way into the wing ahead of Harry and McGonagall. McGonagall then indicated to Harry to follow her, and he did. They walked into the wing, where Harry saw Fred walk over and sit down in a seat beside Riley's bed. His eyes widened in alarm when he saw that she was hooked up to an oxygen mask, an IV sticking out of her arm, which lay at her side on top of a whit blanket that covered her. In all of the time he'd been at Hogwarts, he'd never seen them use such modern technology, Muggle technology. He saw a male doctor standing with Madame Pomfrey and Jake, both of whom looked exhausted, and saw Madame Pomfrey nod to him while Jake looked wearily at his classmate.

"We had to bring in a doctor from St. Mungo's," McGonagall explained, as though sensing Harry's surprise. "He brought with him a bunch of equipment that we're not used to, the same type of equipment that Muggles use."

"Were you guys not capable of fixing her on your own?"

"Her wounds were deep, Potter," McGonagall said through narrowed eyes. "No, we couldn't do all of it on our own, not even with a great Healer like Madame Pomfrey."

Harry walked with McGonagall over to where Professor Dumbledore and Slater were standing, both looking serious as Harry walked over. "He's all yours, Professor," McGonagall said, nodding to Professor Dumbledore.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, looking at Harry as McGonagall closed the door behind her. "I have a few questions to ask you about this last Task, about what happened. You were bitten by a snake, no?"

Harry nodded and looked down at his arm for a second before looking back at Dumbledore and saying, "Yes, sir, right before we got out. Riley refused to use that all-purpose potion on me instead of herself, even though she was in more danger."

"That was the idea," Slater said, looking at Harry through serious and disliking eyes, though Harry got the feeling that it was more about the Task than Harry. "We wanted the Champions to show selflessness, but it seems that that idea backfired on us," he added with a look down at Riley's motionless body. For a moment, Harry thought he saw a look of regret in his eyes, but before it could be confirmed, Slater closed his eyes.

"It seems that you both passed, because both of you offered to give it to the other," Dumbledore added with a similar expression. "There's one other thing that I need to know, Harry. I saw that snake come out, and I saw that Riley seemed to _distract_ it when it headed toward you."

"Yeah, she attacked it and distracted it, but it still managed to get me," Harry admitted, not sure how much information he wanted to divulge to Slater, who was still paying attention. He trusted Dumbledore completely, but not Slater. "Professor, will Riley be ready by the next Task?"

"That will all depend on Riley," a voice said, and Harry turned his head to see Madame Pomfrey and the St. Mungo's doctor walking closer. The doctor frowned at Harry and said, "She's been hurt badly. The Fiendfyre burned right through her skin and into her bones. Fiendfyre works in a funny way; it infects all of the bones, the blood system _and_ the organs, and shuts them all down before it burns them _literally_ from the inside out. She was only in it for a few seconds, from what I understand, so she's a lot better off than she could have been. She was lucky that we got to her when we did, but her lungs have been badly damaged, so she'll need to stay on that machine until she can breathe easily on her own again. That IV is keeping her body going, giving her the nutrients she needs until she can eat on her own again. For the next few days, I wouldn't expect much reaction from her. If I were to take a guess, I'd say she'll probably wake in about three to seven days. What _surprised_ me, though," he said, raising his eyebrows as he held his hand out, "Was that _this_ survived. _Nothing_ usually survives fiend fire, but _this_ did. The only thing I can think of that can survive Fiendfyre is anything goblin-made, and goblin-made items _are not_ easy or cheap to come by. Must have been pretty special to her, to risk it being lost or damaged in the Tournament. Then again, it's pretty hard to damage goblin-made items."

Harry looked at what was in the man's hand and was surprised when he saw that it was a silver ring with black words etched into it, but it wasn't English. Still, he understood what the words said, though he couldn't explain why.

"This is Riley's?" Harry asked in surprise, not recognizing the ring. He hadn't even noticed it on Riley's finger, which just emphasized how much he had ignored everyone around him while preparing for the Task.

"Do you recognize it?" the doctor asked. "Here, take it."

Harry took the ring and held it by his fingertips. He turned it over and said, "No, I don't recognize the ring, but I recognize the writing."

"You know this language?" Dumbledore asked with interest.

"Kind of," Harry admitted, though he knew that he'd never seen the words before. However, they still made sense to him, in a way that he'd never encountered before. "It's weird, but I..." As odd as it seemed, Harry recognized the markings on the ring, though he wasn't sure where from. There was something familiar about them, even if he didn't understand what they meant. Finally, Harry looked up and said, "I've seen Riley wear it before. That's all that matters, right?"

The doctor nodded, though the curiosity in his eyes was obvious.

"Harry, why don't you come with me?" Dumbledore said as he led Harry away from the doctor. Once they were alone, Dumbledore explained under his breath, "Riley discovered earlier this year that the language is that of Parstletongue, and that by speaking in snake language, she could read the words. If you wish to read it, I suggest you speak the language."

Harry hesitated before doing as Dumbledore suggested. He focused on the marks and hissed, "Where did you come from?" The etchings in the ring began to move, rearranging themselves until they appeared to be English, and were readable.

"What's it say, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, sounding very intensely interested.

Harry turned the ring over and read aloud, "'Daughter of raven, born to fly and rise above all'." He looked at Dumbledore and said, "Why would it say that?"

"I think you know, Harry," Dumbledore said, looking Harry in the eyes.

Harry hesitated, and then looked back at the ring, his eyes widening in surprise. This ring was saying that Riley was the descendent of a Ravenclaw, probably a family heirloom. In the back of his mind, he questioned how snakes could have their own language. Even so, he couldn't imagine how Riley was supposed to rise above all of them and be even greater than, say, Dumbledore. Then Harry remembered that the ring was probably a lot older than Riley, if they were talking about the Ravenclaws specifically. After all, Riley's family hadn't been referred to as 'Ravenclaw' in almost a thousand years, not the string that she came from anyway.

"I'm lost," Jake said, shrugging as he walked over, clearly having eavesdropped on the conversation. He and Slater had been walking down the hall when they heard Harry say the words aloud, clearly not catching onto the relevance of the comment. "What does that mean?"

"It's not important that you know," Slater said, clearly understanding the message. In fact, Slater and Dumbledore were the only ones besides Harry who seemed to understand.

"I'll hold onto this until she wakes up," Harry said as he shook his head. He looked over at Riley, who was lying still on the bed, Fred sitting next to her with his hands covering his eyes. A thought suddenly popped into his head. "Wait a minute," he added, looking at Dumbledore and Slater. "Will you guys be allowed back next year, since this happened?"

Slater narrowed his eyes in suspicion at Harry, and he asked coldly, "Riley said something to you?"

Suddenly realizing that he could have gotten Riley in trouble for mouthing off, Harry said, "No, I just figured that a lot of things have happened this year, and there's no guarantee that you could come back."

Slater hesitated, and then said, "Since we were able to save her, nothing's been decided."

Harry nodded and said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to return to my dorm."

"That's a good idea, Harry," Dumbledore said, nodding in approval.

Harry turned around and began walking back toward the doors, glancing over at Riley as he did. He couldn't help but feel a pit grow in his stomach as he looked at her, and he prayed that she would be able to compete in the next Task, that her sacrifice hadn't cost her the tournament.

* * *

Aria stormed off down the hallway, covering her mouth as she resisted the urge to throw up. She stopped when she was out of sight and set one hand against the wall, leaning all of her weight on it. She felt as though the room was spinning, caught somewhere between relief and exhaustion. She turned around, placing her back against the wall, and sunk down to the floor so that she was sitting down. She felt so overwhelmed that she couldn't have described it accurately if she'd tried.

"Aria." Aria looked up and saw George walking over, a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay?" he asked, sounding almost confused.

"Yeah," Aria said, her voice shaky as she let out a sigh.

"I thought you'd be happy about Riley being okay," George said, sounding confused and awkward.

"I am," Aria admitted, though happiness wasn't the only feeling she felt right now.

"If this is you when you're happy, then I'd hate to see you when you're upset," George said, frowning as he looked at Aria.

Aria leaned her head back and looked up, feeling her entire body go numb. "I didn't mean to make it look like I'm not happy. I'm _thrilled_, actually, but..." She shook her head and said, "I just want this Tournament to be over with so badly."

"So you can go home?" George asked, his voice somewhat cold and displeased.

Aria looked at George, knowing very well what he meant by that question. "No, George," she said in a serious, firm voice. "So I can go a single day without thinking my best friend is going to fall over dead." She shook her head and said, "Every day during the time we've been here, Riley's prepared herself to go up against obstacles that could kill her, and _almost did _this time. I..." She hesitated, and said, "I honestly thought she was dead. I felt it – when I saw her lying in front of Harry like that – the terror and pain of losing my best friend. Now, it's like having her come back from the dead."

"She's going to be okay," George said as he walked over and sat down beside Aria.

"I know," Aria said, pulling her knees up to her, setting her arms on top of them and folding her hands. "But I feel like I'm on a roller coaster, up and down with each day, not sure when the ride's going to stop, or where."

"You'll be okay," George promised, sounding as if he really believed what he was saying.

Aria smiled at George and said, "Thanks. And thanks for staying with me earlier, when we first got in here. I... I know that things have been _awkward_ for us lately," she said, and she saw him lower his head, as though unable to look at her. She frowned and said, "Neither of us has really wanted to talk about what happened."

"There's nothing to talk about," George said, raising his head and looking at Aria through clear eyes. He shrugged and said, "You don't like me back; I get it."

"That's not it," Aria said, and she saw George's eyes flash with confusion and surprise. Aria hesitated, and then said, "I _do_ like you, George, a lot more than I expected to, or probably ever should."

"Then why...?" George began, his eyes narrowed with confusion.

"We have two months until we leave," Aria explained, looking George in the eyes. "I've loved hanging out with you and growing to know you on this trip. You're a great guy, George, which is why I _won't_ lead you on. I won't allow myself to make you fall for me, only to pull away and never see you again."

George rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not asking you to _marry_ me, Aria."

"No, you're not," Aria agreed, though her voice was still stiff with uncertainty. "But as long as I'm in America and you're here, we can't be anything more than friends, because I'm in school for another two years before I leave."

"You could come to Hogwarts," George pointed out.

"Not without Riley," Aria said, shaking her head. "I won't leave her behind again. If I left and came here to be with you, and then something happened, I couldn't just get up and leave. I'd be stuck here, and Riley would be back in America, alone. I won't make a move like that without her with me." She hesitated, and then said, "She's my best friend, the only family I have left. I won't do that to her again."

George nodded and said, "I understand."

"Are you still mad at me?" Aria asked nervously.

George shook his head and said, "I was never _mad_ at you, Aria, only hurt."

"I know," Aria said, looking down at the ground again. "I just want you to know the _real_ reason why I did what I did."

George forced a smile and reached out with his right hand. He took her left one in his and held it, entwining his fingers with hers. She looked at him in surprise as he left his hand there, George smiling gently down at her. "I'm not going anywhere," he said as he drew his face closer, though he didn't actually make contact. "I'm here for you, as a friend or whatever else you want me to be."

Aria smiled and leaned her head over, setting it on his shoulder. "Thanks for being there for me," she said quietly, "When I needed you the most."

"No problem," George said, leaning his cheek against the top of her head. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, grateful to finally have her back in his life; grateful to know the truth, even if it hurt like hell.


	35. Chapter 33: Awake

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirty-three: Awake

* * *

The next several days seemed slower than molasses, and yet extremely hectic. Harry had been told by Bagman – after an extremely long apology and sympathy lecture about Riley – that he would be informed in exactly one month about what to expect for the next Task. But the truth was that right now, Harry could barely think about the Tournament, only Riley, who still hadn't woken up, even after five days. Harry had managed to find time at least once every day, even with all of his classes, to go to the medical wing, usually with Hermione and Ron. They'd been very sympathetic when they'd found out about everything that had happened, and were more than willing to go with him.

Right now, Harry was sitting in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class, listening to Professor Moody go on and on about something or another, Harry's mind not even on class. With everything that had happened recently, with Mr. Crouch showing up dead, and Riley getting hurt, Harry's mind was very rarely actually on classwork. Harry had begun to carry Riley's ring around in his pocket, wanting to have it with him for when Riley finally woke up. Harry had been happy to find that Aria and George had begun talking to one another again, seeming to be as good as they had been a month ago again. Fred, however, spent all of his free time in the medical wing with Riley. Harry knew that he was still attending classes, but all of his free time was spent in the medical wing, that Fred was just waiting for Riley to get up before he would finally return to something of a normal routine.

Harry was thinking about Fred and Riley when Hermione shoved him in the shoulder with her elbow. Harry shook his head and looked up in alarm, Hermione looking at Harry through narrowed eyes. She whispered, "Are you okay?"

Harry hesitated, and then nodded, struggling to look up at the board and keep his attention on the lesson. As he looked over at Professor Moody, he noticed Malfoy sitting near the front of the class, laughing as he talked to Crabbe and Goyle. Harry narrowed his eyes as he watched the Slytherin boys talk so casually. Malfoy, for having taken such a big interest in Riley, hadn't visited her yet to Harry's knowledge. He sat there so casually, as though nothing in the world were wrong.

As soon as class was out, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked out, and stopped in the hallway. Harry ran a hand through his hair and asked, "Hey, Hermione, can I borrow your notes on class later?"

"I figured you hadn't taken any, considering that I had to wake you up from your thoughts three different times," Hermione said, frowning. "Sure, you can borrow them before we go to bed tonight."

"Thanks," Harry said halfheartedly.

"Give him credit for at least showing up," Ron pointed out. "From what George told me last night, Fred missed a class yesterday because he didn't want to miss out on Riley possibly waking up."

Hermione frowned, looking serious as she said, "I know that I haven't been Riley's biggest supporter in all of this, but I feel kind of bad for Fred, just sitting there and watching her. I mean, I can't be in there for very long, seeing her just hooked up to those machines and not able to wake up."

"Hopefully, she'll wake up within a day or two," Harry said hopefully.

"You don't still blame yourself for her getting hurt, do you, Harry?" Ron asked, looking both surprised and confused.

"Wouldn't you?" Harry asked, somewhat offended and defensive.

"No," Ron said abruptly.

"What I think Ron means," Hermione began, seeing Harry's eyes blaze with anger and his mouth open to retort sharply, "is that Riley knew that the Task was dangerous. She knew that her actions would have consequences, and what those consequences would be. This isn't your fault, Harry."

"If she hadn't used that potion on me," Harry argued, "She would have been fine. Sure, _I_ would have been hurt..."

"You could have died, too," Hermione pointed out. "Riley knew what choices she had, and she made a decision. She knew what the consequences could be, Harry. She knew what she was doing."

"You know," Harry said, folding his arms. "Fred said almost the exact same thing to me after the Task finished and we were waiting to find out what was going on."

"As strange as this is to say," Ron said, frowning, "Fred's right."

"He's right, Harry," Hermione agreed. "You can't blame yourself for this."

Harry refused to argue this matter, because nothing he would say would get across to his friends what he felt. "You want to come with me to the hospital wing?"

"I'm going to go turn in my homework to Professor Binns," Hermione said as she looked around. "But then I'll come over, if there's time before our next class."

"You finished it already?" Ron exclaimed, voicing Harry's own surprise.

"I actually pay attention in class, _Ronald_," Hermione said, glaring at Ron through narrowed eyes.

"Well, I'll come with you and maybe you can explain to me what he was saying all the way through class today," Ron said.

"All right," Harry said, shrugging carelessly. "I'll see you two later." With that, he turned and began to walk off.

Harry was walking down the hall, having only moved about fifty feet when he ran into Ginny, who was walking over with a girl who had wavy blond hair and was wearing Ravenclaw's robes. Ginny stopped and said hello to Harry, only to look surprised when she saw Ron and Hermione walking off, talking to themselves.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked as her friend walked off. "You don't usually go too far from Ron and Hermione."

"They're going to go talk to Binns while I go visit Riley," Harry explained.

Ginny raised an eyebrow and asked, "You visit her a lot?"

"Just about every day," Harry said, nodding slightly.

"Mind if I go with you?" Ginny asked.

Harry blinked in surprise and said, "Not at all. Have you been to see her yet?"

Ginny frowned and said, "Once, the day before yesterday. I, I couldn't stand seeing her like that, so I haven't gone back since." She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Am I a terrible person?"

Harry smiled, unable to think of any way in which a person could call Ginny terrible, and he said with amusement, "No, Ginny, you're not. I'm surprised that Hermione and Ron have been able to go every day with me. I'm pleased, but surprised."

Harry and Ginny began to walk toward the medical wing, and after a few moments of silence, Ginny asked, "You still blame yourself for her getting hurt?"

"How could I not?" Harry asked, frowning. "But please, if you don't agree, don't lecture me on how it's not my fault. I don't want to hear it."

"I'm not going to try to tell you that," Ginny said, sounding surprised. "Was never going to."

"Really?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at Ginny. "You're not?"

Ginny blinked and said, "No, I'm not. Whether it's your fault or not, there's nothing that I could say that would make you feel better, so I'm not going to waste my breath." When she saw Harry's surprised and grateful look, she said, "Come on, Harry, it's not like I'm totally perfect. I mean, do you think I don't still blame myself for what happened my first year?"

Harry understood what Ginny was talking about. One of Voldemort's attempts to come back to life had resulted in him possessing Ginny and a diary that he'd used to get close to Harry, to make him trust him before leading him into the Chamber of Secrets, a chamber built by Salazar Slytherin before he died, and guarded by a giant Basilisk. Ginny had done terrible things for Voldemort while under his possession, including taking the blood of Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, and writing messages to Harry on the wall. She'd also opened up the entrance to the Chamber and gone inside to die, but Harry had made it inside in just enough time to save her and kill the Basilisk. Under

Harry frowned and was about to point out that she'd been possessed, so there was no way that she was responsible for those actions, but he understood also what she was saying. There was nothing that he could say to make her feel better, so there was no use in wasting his breath.

It was only a few minutes before they reached the medical wing, and they were about to walk in when they heard McGonagall say haughtily, "Weasley, I want you to get out of here, go take a shower, get something to eat, and go to your classes! I can appreciate your loyalty to O'Malley, but I'm not going to excuse you on your exams just because you refuse to leave here except to go to the bathroom."

Ginny smiled at Harry and said, "I think Fred's driven her a little nutty in the last few days."

"More than normal?" Harry teased with a smile on his face.

As they entered the room, Harry saw McGonagall standing beside Riley's bed, her hands on her hips and her face twisted in annoyance. As they drew closer, Harry understood what McGonagall had meant by a shower. He guessed by the smell that Fred hadn't taken one in a few days, and he could see that his guess was shared by

"Harry!" Fred said in surprise when he saw Harry walking over. "Ginny!"

"_See_?" McGonagall said, looking at Fred through narrowed eyes. "Potter and Miss Weasley can stay here while you're gone. Go! I'll even excuse them from their next classes."

Ginny and Harry looked at one another in surprise. McGonagall _was_ desperate.

Fred opened his mouth to argue, and Ginny looked back at her brother to say, "Fred, go. We'll be here until you get back."

Fred hesitated, and then Harry said, "Go!"

Fred didn't wait to be told twice, though he looked rather unhappy as he got up and walked out. McGonagall waited until he was out of earshot before turning around and saying to Harry and Ginny, "Thank you."

"What was that about?"

"I'd have thought you'd be able to tell by the _smell_," McGonagall said, her face twisted in disgust. "Mr. Weasley hasn't shown up for any of his classes since the day before yesterday, and from the smell of things, he hasn't taken a shower, either. I'm going to give Madam Pomfrey instructions to not let him back until tomorrow. I want him to get some rest, which I know he's not getting as long as he's in here."

"He just cares," Ginny pointed out.

"Yes, well his caring is going to scare everyone in the castle away if he cares so much for more than another day," McGonagall said, walking past Ginny and Harry. "Don't worry about classes for the rest of the day, I'll take care of them."

Once McGonagall was gone, Harry and Ginny both began to laugh. "I've never seen her so wound up," Ginny laughed.

Harry shook his head and said, "Neither have I, but when I'm getting out of class, I don't ask questions."

"True," Ginny said, nodding in agreement.

The two walked over and sat down in chairs beside Riley's bed. Harry sat down in one by the wall, while Ginny sat in one a few feet away. While Ginny crossed her legs and got comfortable, Harry just looked at Riley, who still wasn't moving.

"Sure has gotten a lot of attention," Ginny said, looking around in surprise. "Plenty of visitors."

It was true. Over the last several days, Riley had received a ton of gifts, including candy, cards, flowers and pictures that people had taken of her during the different Tasks, especially the first one when she'd been so strong and powerful. Harry himself had used the chance two days ago when they were permitted to go to Hogsmeade to get some candy for her, keeping in mind that she didn't like candy that moved on its own or the special jelly beans, which made shopping for candy a little hard at times. Still, it was all waiting, untouched until she woke up, which everyone was hoping would be any day now. Most of the Silvergates kids had made a trip into Hogsmeade to buy gifts of Butterbeer and had chipped in to get Riley a new leather vest, one that was flame-proof and even better looking than the one she'd had before.

The Champions had been very _generous_ in their gifts. Fleur had gone out and bought a huge bouquet of flowers that made the Kentucky Derby winner's bouquet look like nothing, Krum had gone out and bought Riley a brand new Nimbus 2003 broom (what a shocker) and word was that Cedric had gotten into contact with Ollivander, who was now working to build Riley a wand almost identical to the one she'd had before, since hers was now nothing more than kindling for a fire. Harry felt that his gift was little compared to the others', but he knew that Riley would be eternally grateful for the chocolate, which she and Aria regarded as second to nothing.

Harry nodded and said, "I'm not sure how much of it is that people genuinely want her to get better, and how much is that they feel intimidated because she's a Champion, but yeah, she's been getting a lot of visitors."

"Anything from Malfoy?" Ginny asked, looking around.

Harry shook his head and said, "Not that I know of. I've been in here every day, and I've never seen him once."

"That's odd," Ginny said, looking surprised and deep in thought.

"That's Malfoy," Harry grunted dismissively. "Using people for their fame without thought of how it affects them." He remembered his first year at Hogwarts, when Malfoy had tried making friends with him because of how famous he was. Because he hadn't agreed to it, Malfoy had become his nemesis, determined to make him pay for his opinions on anyone less than a Pureblood or famous.

Ginny shrugged and said, "I don't like the guy, but he's been nice to Riley without asking for anything in return, so I guess I can't fault him for that."

Harry looked at Ginny and said, "Not you, too."

"Don't get me wrong," Ginny said in her defense. "I don't believe that it gives him justification for everything else he's done." When she saw Harry calm down, she said, "I just find it odd that he hasn't come around. I mean, even Pansy Parkinson came in, and she's totally jealous of Riley for her relationship with Malfoy." It was true. Pansy had brought a pack of chocolate frogs, which Harry was very tempted to steal, because he knew that Riley would never eat them.

Harry nodded and said, "Maybe, once she wakes up, he'll come in. After all, there's not a lot of point in coming in here when she's unconscious, unless you're Fred."

"Or you're seeking redemption," Ginny said, looking Harry in the eye.

Harry blushed a little, disturbed that Ginny could read his thoughts even before he thought and/or understood them.

* * *

Later that night, after Fred had showered, eaten and gotten his homework assignments from all of his teachers – except for Snape, who was furious that he'd missed class – Fred made his way into the medical wing. He had been grateful for the chance to shower, since he knew that he had reeked to high heaven. And he hadn't been too put off by the food, which was always delicious, but he was more than happy to get back to the medical wing. Ginny and Harry had been talking for what seemed like a long time, surprised when Fred didn't return until right before dinner.

"You two can go to dinner," Fred said with a nod to the side. "I'm good, really."

Ginny and Harry exchanged looks, then stood up, making their way past the chairs. "Thanks, Fred," Harry said as they passed him. "She hasn't changed at all."

"Figured," Fred said as he let out a long, disappointed sigh. "I'd hope that you'd find me if she had."

"Of course," Ginny said, nodding. "Come to bed tonight, though, or I'll send McGonagall after you."

"Sure," Fred said with a nod. He didn't want to sleep in the tower, but he knew that his sister would go through with her threat. She was like their mom in that way.

Once Ginny and Harry were gone, and Fred was the only one in the hospital wing, he made his way over to sit beside Riley again. He felt more relaxed as he sat down. He knew that he was bothering everyone by being here all of the time, but the truth was that ever since Harry had delivered Riley's message, and he'd found out that Riley was going to live, Fred wanted for the first thing Riley to hear when she woke up was that she was stupid. Of course, he understood what she'd meant in their last real conversation, and even though he wasn't happy about it, he understood it.

There was only one thing that bothered Fred, when all was said and done: She'd predicted her death. Telling Harry to give Fred a message so emotional meant that Riley predicted that by saving Harry, she was going to die. Fred was sure she'd fought it for as long as possible, but the idea that she'd submitted to death bothered him more than he could tell.

Fred hesitated as he looked at Riley, many thoughts running through his head. Finally, he reached over with his left hand and took hers in his hand, entwining his fingers in hers. Sitting there, he had a feeling that this was the closest he was ever going to get to her, and he knew that he only had the nerve to do this when she was unconscious and couldn't say anything against it; he only had the nerve to do this when she couldn't reject him. That was the difference between him and George. George had the guts to put himself out there and possibly get hurt. Fred wasn't sure enough about his and Riley's relationship to take that kind of chance. Plus, he was more level-headed than George, and was realistic enough to know that after this next Task, he would probably never see her again. This was the only way to safely be close to her, and to admit that to himself left Fred feeling both sad and ashamed.

Fred lowered his head, feeling somewhat exhausted, and he suddenly felt something twitch in his hand. Fred's eyes widened in alarm when he opened his eyes to see Riley's fingers twitch somewhat. He looked to her face, his eyes wide with hope and surprise. "Riley?" he asked hopefully.

Riley's eyes slowly began to slide open, but just barely. Fred turned his head and yelled out as loudly as possible, "Madam Pomfrey, she's awake!"

A moment later, Madam Pomfrey walked into the room, walking right up to the bedside, her eyes wide with interest. She looked over Riley, who'd managed to get her eyes half-open. She looked Riley up and down, checking her over. She then smiled and said, "I think she's going to be all right. Just keep talking to her and stay here for her while she gets better, though make sure that you go to sleep in your own bed tonight," she added, looking at Fred.

Fred smiled and nodded. "Yes, Madam Pomfrey." Knowing that Riley was safe made it easier to leave, especially now that she was showing signs of being conscious again.

Madam Pomfrey smiled, her eyes twinkling in amusement as she said, "Though I must say, Mr. Weasley, it seems that your persistence has finally paid off. You were, indeed, here when she woke up." She walked away, leaving Fred alone, suddenly glad that he'd come back exactly when he had.

"Riley?" Fred said, trying to get her attention. But her eyes were glancing over at something else, something in between them. Fred followed her gaze and saw that her eyes were fixed on his hand, which hadn't moved from her hand. He looked back at her and saw that she was now looking at him. Fred smiled and said, "I'm not going anywhere, Riley, get used to it. So don't go sending any more messages through Harry."

Riley's eyes blinked slowly, and the vague light in them told Fred everything that he needed to know. She then closed her eyes and began to drift out again. Still, Fred had the slightest idea that this was a good sleep, and that she was going to be all right, after all.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!


	36. Chapter 34: Night of Silence

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four: Night of Silence

* * *

Everything was quiet in the castle at one o'clock in the morning. All of the teachers had taken themselves to bed, even the ones that normally patrolled the castle. In the last few nights, he'd learned their patterns, who went to sleep at what time, and who patrolled when. He'd been forced to learn that so that he could walk about without being heard if he wanted to walk around.

Draco made his way down the staircases and hallways. He had his wand with him, but never used it to light his path. Doing that might cause the paintings to stir, and alert others to his nightly walk.

Draco walked down the hallway, walking as quietly as he could, until he reached his destination: the medical wing. Good news had spread around the castle that day: Riley was awake. When he'd heard that, Draco knew that he had to come by again tonight, and he wasn't willing to do anything that might disable him.

Draco hesitated before walking inside, afraid that he might wake Riley up and alert her to his presence. But as he stepped inside, Draco saw her lying on her bed, her head turned to the side while she slept. She was still wearing the oxygen mask and had an IV in her arm. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her, the moonlight from the windows shining on her and lighting up the room.

This was what he'd done every night since she'd been put in here, in the medical wing. He hadn't been willing to risk getting seen during the day, to let people know just how worried he was. He wanted to see her, to see her awake. But now that she was awake, he knew that his visits were going to come to a stop.

Draco had been strangely distant since Riley had informed him that she wouldn't be helping him out with his homework anymore; that she was going to concentrate on the Tasks. He'd been both surprised and offended by this, thinking that he'd done something wrong and it was personal, until he found out that she'd done the same thing with Fred Weasley and the Gryffindors. She'd distanced herself almost completely from everyone who wasn't from Silvergates during the last few weeks, but the amount of presents and visitors that she'd received proved just how much people were sticking by her. Even Slytherin students had come to visit her, and brought her gifts. Draco hadn't because he wanted to give her space, to make her want to come to back to him. That, and he didn't want people thinking that he was so desperate that he couldn't be without her.

No, he had started coming at night because he wanted to see her without having everyone look at him like he was an evil person or a freak like he knew they would. As it was, everyone – including his father – thought that Draco was only interested in Riley because she was famous for being a Champion, and because she was a foreigner. No one would believe that he genuinely liked her, but was keeping himself at a distance because of her recent cold attitude and his loyalty to his family being number one in his life.

Draco had come in every night except last night. He'd started to when he saw Fred Weasley sleeping in a chair beside Riley's bed. When he'd seen Fred, he'd ducked out and returned to his room, not wanting to risk being caught. The last thing he needed was to get into another confrontation with Weasley. The last one had ended up with him vomiting acid. He didn't need that, not again.

Draco took a few steps closer, walking until he was standing at the end of Riley's bed. He set his hands on the rail at the end of her bed, looking over at her, sleeping so peacefully, and yet relying on those stupid machines just to breathe. Draco blinked and sat down in one of the chairs. Every night until now, he'd spent hours standing by the door, just watching her. This was the first time that he was willing to sit near her, to _be_ near her.

Draco leaned over, setting his arms on his legs as he stared at Riley's face. She looked peaceful, and yet completely drained. He knew that in a few hours, she'd been waking up, and hoping to see someone. She'd probably see Weasley, or one of her other friends, because Draco wasn't going to come in for a while, not until she was back to normal. He couldn't stand to see her weak, awake and unable to be her normal self. That's why he came at this time every night. Seeing her in the dark, he could pretend that she was just asleep, not fighting for her life.

Draco set his hands on the bed, his hand right next to hers so that they touched, but he restrained himself from holding her hand. He couldn't, not if he wanted to get away with staying here for a couple of hours, at least. He usually stayed two hours before leaving and getting some sleep. If he wanted to stay that long, he couldn't risk waking her. He wouldn't do that, not for at least a week when she was feeling better. Draco closed his eyes and let out a silent sigh, realizing that tonight was going to be another long night of silence.

_I don't know why she's different,_ Draco thought uncertainly as he stared at Riley's face, peaceful and unmoving. He, himself, felt overwhelmingly conflicted as he thought, _I've seen hundreds of girls, and have been attracted to them. This one, though… She's different. She makes me feel different, in ways that not even Pansy can. I don't know why, but she does. I want to be with her, and to be close to her. When I'm not, I feel like I'm going to go insane. When I think that she might be hurt, I'm terrified. Not knowing if she's going to make it, I become nervous and can't think. No one has ever made me feel this way, and I haven't known her for very long. Why? Why does she make me feel this way?_

Only silence met Draco's thoughts. Only silence filled the void.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY! IT SHOULD BE OUT FOR SALE BY THE TIME I DELETE THIS STORY!


	37. Chapter 35: The Plot

Chapter Thirty-five: The Plot

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He scowled angrily. Why couldn't he kill her? All he'd have to do is walk right up to her and curse her, but then he'd give himself away. He couldn't do that until the Dark Lord was back, until he was at power once again. Then, to hell with all of them! He'd blow them all away himself, even if the Dark Lord didn't.

His mind reeled as he thought about the girl, the girl who seemed determined to protect her friends, including Harry. Most Silvergates students were friendly, but she actually bonded with Harry, and he knew that Harry was able to relate to her. That only gave her more power over him, and he couldn't risk it. She had to die, but how? He'd tried everything, feeding that stupid dragon more and more power during the first task, allowing it to trample around, baiting the Dolphinian before hand and practically delivering Riley into his webbed hands, and then there was the Black Penetro.

He smiled maliciously as he thought of the Black Penetro, his favorite form of torture. It caused the person to re-live their worst nightmares and fears in their sleep, disabling them from truly resting. He'd seen the terror in her eyes when he'd used that potion to his fullest advantage, burning down the castle's tower. He'd meant to scare her so bad that she couldn't make it to the next Task, which would disqualify her from the final Task, but the faith that her stupid friends had given her had allowed her to get up and move on. He'd even been as stupid as to give back the ring that he'd stolen all of those years ago from Helen O'Malley, back when she was just a student and Helen Mask.

He drew his lips back in a snarl as he imagined Riley, looking so much like her mother. He could see flashbacks of the the woman, and remembered every detail of her face, and it alarmed him how much Riley looked like her. Helen had never known that it was _he_ who had stolen her ring, right from under her nose. She'd taken it off during Potions one day, and he'd nicked in then, kept it for the Dark Lord. But then again, it was the Dark Lord who told him to use it as bait.

He made his way out of the castle and back to London. It took him quite a while to get out of Hogwarts' grounds, and then he Apparated to right in front of the house. He walked up and knocked on the front door, only for the wrinkly, stubby face of Wormtail to be the first thing that he saw. Standing there, he looked hideous in his wrinkled clothes, like a mouse in the face of a giant. He was biting on one of his fingers, but stopped when he recognized who was at the door.

"You're late," Wormtail said, his nose flicking nervously. "The Master does not like to be kept waiting."

"Sod off, Wormtail," he said as he entered. He walked over to where he knew the Dark Lord was resting, and he knelt down in a bow, not even flinching when he saw the Dark Lord in his current form. There'd been a time when he would have cringed, even been mortified by what the Dark Lord had been reduced to, which made his quest to extract vengeance on Potter by bringing the Dark Lord back all the stronger. He wanted Harry to see exactly what he'd destroyed, to make him pay for hurting his master.

"You are late," the Dark Lord said in almost a hiss.

"I'm sorry, Master," he apologized, his head still low. "I had a difficult time getting past Dumbledore without getting caught."

"Were you followed?"

"Of course not, Master," he said, sounding almost offended.

"You can never be too careful these days," the Dark Lord said in a hiss. "Is she dead yet?"

"Not yet, Master," he said. "But soon, she will be, and then the boy will be all yours, like a lamb on an alter."

"How do you propose to kill her, if you've not already done so?" the Dark Lord asked through narrowed eyes.

He'd been thinking about that ever since the Third Task, when he'd failed to kill her with the giant snake that he'd promised blood to. Still, she'd managed to come out without anything more than an almost-death. She'd disappointed him again, and he didn't intend to let it happen another time.

"The final task, milord," he answered without missing a beat. "In the final task, she will face the one thing that she fears the most, the fear that you struck into her heart when she was an infant."

"Will she die?" the Dark Lord hissed angrily. "Can she let me down?"

"No," he responded, shaking his head. "She does not have it in her to stop this one thing."

"Then go," the Dark Lord hissed. "We have only a month left until the time comes and I want you to make sure that everything is perfect. _Nothing_ can go wrong."

"Yes, my Master," he said, dipping his head in respect and honor.

With that, he stood up, glared at Wormtail on the way out, and closed the door behind him. He then stormed through the London streets, his eyes glinting as he just imagined the way that the next Task. _When it comes to the end,_ he thought with malice in his eyes and heart, _That girl's gonna feel the bite of my Master's wrath._


	38. Chapter 36: The Ring

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirty-six: The Ring

* * *

"Honestly, guys, I think this is _enough!_"

Riley laughed as her friends looked at her sulkily, the expressions on their faces at being rejected from shoving all kinds of chocolate on her priceless. Riley smiled and said, "I've got over fifty boxes already; feel free to have some. I need to get stronger before the next Task, not gain thirty pounds and become brain-dead from a caffeine overdose, even if it is mostly chocolate."

"So, do you think you'll be ready to compete, then?" Harry asked hopefully.

Riley frowned and admitted, "I can't do anything without a wand, but if I can get one within the next month, I don't see why not. I mean, it's not like I suffered brain damage, and after a month, I'm already laughing and goofing off with you guys."

"Yeah," Ron agreed, "In your hospital bed."

Riley was still sitting up in her bed in the medical wing, her hospital bed covered in all kinds of candy, though she was holding onto a big bag of jelly beans that Harry had ordered through the mail, normal ones created by Muggles, which didn't come out tasting like vomit or earwax. She had been thrilled when she'd gotten five pounds of them, swearing to make them last all of eternity.

Fred was sitting on the bed beside Riley, smiling in amusement as he ate the Chocolate Frogs that had been sent to Riley's bedside. Harry couldn't help but smile at the sheer number of bewitched chocolate goods around Riley. It only proved that even though people cared, they didn't know her all that well. Still, it didn't make the smile on her face lessen any.

Riley swallowed a few of the jelly beans, and then said with a smile, "I'm getting out the day after tomorrow. That Healer has given me some painkillers, and they've gotten me all fixed, so I should be as good as new in a week or so."

"Just don't go and get yourself totally cursed again," Fred said with a teasingly glint in his eyes.

Riley shrugged, her eyes filled with mischief as she looked right at Fred and said, "That would be nice, but I make no promises, knowing my track record."

Fred grinned, his eyes filled with a similar mischief as he looked right back at Riley.

"You have the worst luck of anyone I know," Hermione said, smiling at Riley.

"Uh, Hermione," Aria said with a teasing smile. "I think most of that bad luck is brought on by herself."

"Hey!" Riley said, chucking a jelly bean at Aria, who laughed as it hit her head, only to turn around and throw a box of jumping jellybeans at her, which began nipping at her fingers. Everyone laughed as Riley hit the box with the back of her hand, sending it flying.

"You certainly seem well-liked," Ron said, looking at all of the presents and flowers that had been brought.

Riley smiled and said, "It's probably just because I'm a Champion, but when there's free candy involved, I don't ask questions." She popped another jelly bean into her mouth with a smile.

George chuckled and said, "Things are going to be so boring around here once you guys are gone."

"Hey, have things _ever_ been boring around here?" Ginny asked, looking up at her brother – who was standing beside Aria – with a grin.

George nodded in consent and said, "Good point."

"It's sad that it takes me nearly dying in order to amuse you," Riley said, smiling at George.

George just smiled back, and it was clear that the two were friends.

"All right, you pesky lot," Madam Pomfrey said as she walked over. "Now, get out and go to your classes before I have to treat you all for rotting teeth." Still, even though her words were strict, she had a teasing look in her eyes, something that wasn't there often. Harry had a guess that it was because she understood why they wanted to be around Riley, and she was glad to see Riley so active after having that close of a break.

"_Aww_," the group moaned as they got to their feet to walk away.

"Come back when classes are over," Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "Maybe she'll have had some rest by then, since it seems that she won't be able to get any when you lot are here."

The others started to leave, when Harry said, "I'll meet up with you guys later, I have a free period now."

His friends shrugged and nodded in agreement and walked out of the room, Aria following George away. Madam Pomfrey walked off to deal with some boy who had come in that morning with boils all over his face, and Harry continued to sit down on the chair beneath Riley's bed.

"Thanks again, by the way," Riley said, smiling as she reached into the bag of jelly beans. "It's nice to taste candy that _isn't_ possessed."

Harry smiled and said, "I agree; that's why I bought myself a couple pounds." The bag was sitting upstairs, the Gryffindor boys in total awe that there was normal tasting candy, stuff that didn't taste like body parts or bi-products.

Riley smiled and asked, "So, how is the preparation for the next Task going?"

Harry shrugged and said, "Not terrible. I mean, they haven't really told us much. We find out the day after tomorrow what it's going to be about, and then we can _really_ get prepared. Until then, I'm kind of just a sitting duck." He frowned, something on his mind.

Riley raised an eyebrow as she looked at Harry, her voice curious and serious as she asked, "What's wrong, Harry?"

Harry reached into his pants pocket and pulled the ring that he'd been carrying around for the last month out. He held it out in his fingertips and he said, "The Healer pulled this off of you; was surprised that it wasn't destroyed in the fire."

Riley's eyes widened and she reached out to take the ring, smiling when she took it in her hands. "Thanks, Harry," she said brightly. "I hadn't even asked them about it yet. I figured that Dumbledore must have it, must have fallen off while I was in the last Task." She raised an eyebrow when she looked up at Harry. "You read what's written on it?"

"Yeah," Harry said uncomfortably as he readjusted himself on the chair. "Dumbledore gave me a hint about how to read it. 'Daughter of raven, born to fly and rise above all'."

"Amusing, huh?" Riley asked, forcing a fake smile. She then asked, "I'm guessing, then, that you know then that this is a family heirloom, passed down from the Ravenclaws?"

"I assumed that," Harry said, nodding. "But I didn't know for sure until now." He hesitated, and then said, "Had Slater pretty freaked out when I translated it for Dumbledore, though."

Riley smiled and said in disbelief, "Come on, Harry. Do you really think that I'm going to become some big-time dominatrix and rule over all of you by the pureness of my blood?" She spoke in such a sarcastic way that Harry blushed slightly, more than one thought running through his mind, especially at the word 'dominatrix', which gave some very disturbing images to his mind. Riley smiled and widened her eyes as she saw Harry's reaction. "Yeah," she said knowingly. "That's what I thought."

"It does sound kind of farfetched," Harry admitted. "Especially considering that that ring must be what, at least a thousand years old?"

"The ring itself goes back farther than Rona," Riley said, holding it up. "She's my great-great grandmother, but it's only because she lived for four hundred and thirty-nine years, her daughter lived three hundred and twelve, and so on. My mother was the first one who didn't live for over a hundred and fifty years. It's strange, but my family has made a point of experimenting with lengthening one's life, and those experiments are usually what causes them to die."

"Riley," Harry said awkwardly. "How did your parents die?"

Riley raised an eyebrow and said, "They died in a fire that someone set inside of my house. There was a Charm on me at the time – heaven knows why – and I was the only one who survived."

"Fiendfyre?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

Riley blinked and said, "Finally guessed where my fear is from?"

Harry didn't say anything.

Riley said, "Yes, Fiendfyre."

"Fiendfyre isn't something that you can just whip up at any moment," Harry said. "I don't know a lot about it, but I've been looking it up, and I don't think that Fiendfyre would appear from nowhere or casually to burn down a house."

"You mean that you think my parents were intentionally killed by a powerful witch or wizard?" Riley asked, not showing any signs of surprise or alarm. "You're right, Harry, they were, but I'd appreciate it if you quit asking questions about my parents' deaths." When she saw Harry's eyes widen in alarm, Riley said, "I know how my parents died, and I know that you're just trying to put together the puzzle in your head, but trust me when I say that no good will come of what you're trying to figure out."

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked, confused.

Riley smiled and said casually, "Because I doubt that once I'm gone, I'll ever come back, so there's no use in 'vesting yourself into something as personal as this without their being any fruit to be harvested from it."

"But–" Harry began.

"Harry," Riley said, interrupting him, and she said politely, "Please, stay out of it. If I want you to know something, I'll let you know."

Harry hesitated, then nodded, not satisfied. Still, he valued his friendship with Riley over his own curiosity. He wasn't going to jeopardize it, especially when things were finally looking up for both of them.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!


	39. Chapter 37: The New Wand

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirty-seven: The New Wand

* * *

"So, what do I do know?" Fred asked, confused as he looked over his Potions paper. "I add..."

"I told you," Riley said, sighing as she pointed down at Fred's paper. "When making this potion, you need to first put in Jenza Sealer–"

"That clear, green, liquidy stuff, right," Fred said, nodding.

Riley rolled her eyes and sighed as she said in a groan, "Yes, the clear, green liquidy stuff; although, I have to say that that is the _least_ politically correct way you could say that aloud, but never mind. It's a medium that you use in order to dissolve the other ingredients. It's what makes the potion a potion and not just a big cauldron of solid objects dropped in together. But you have to be very careful not to touch it, or it will eat away at your entire body and anything else it touches. Then you take the wolf fang, drop it in..."

Riley and Fred were working in the Gryffindor common room, sitting on the floor beside one another and leaning back against the couch, Fred with his parchment on his lap, his quill in his hand and the ink between them, and Riley with his Potions book, Transfigurations homework – which they'd just finished – and his notes from Charms, all on her lap.

Fred was scribbling down the instructions, rather sloppily, and Riley rolled her eyes and groaned as she took the parchment from him, "If Snape could read your handwriting, I would die of shock, even if the answers are correct," she added, glaring at him teasingly through narrowed eyes.

"Now I'm realizing why Harry and Ron love Hermione so much," Fred said with a smile.

"Yeah, well, you're not going to be able to turn this in," Riley said as she wrote down the answers to the questions. "Snape knows that this isn't your chicken scratch, so you're going to have to copy it, but at least make it legible, for _me,_ if nothing else. I'd hate for this past _hour_ to have been a waste."

Fred raised an eyebrow, a knowing and taunting look in his eyes as he asked curiously, "Do you think it's been a waste of time?"

Riley looked up at Fred and smiled at him through narrowed eyes, saying sincerely, "No, Fred, I don't."

Fred smiled, and so did Riley, before things got so awkward that she looked back at the paper. She started writing again, when she asked, "Have you seen Aria and George around one another lately?"

Though Fred didn't find this subject nearly as interesting, he went along with it. He scoffed and said, "Oh, yeah. It seems that your incident last month woke them up to reality, and now they're no longer fighting. They're always together, all but all over each other... They seemed to have worked their problems out."

"Good," Riley said, nodding. "At least they'll be able to leave with a good relationship, and not have to deal with the awkwardness of being angry, but liking each other."

Fred frowned, knowing what Riley meant. "Speaking from experience?"

Riley stopped writing for a second, only to look up at Fred and say with a serious face, "I was speaking generally, not specifically." Without waiting for Fred to respond, she looked back down at the parchment and continued writing.

Fred frowned, knowing that Riley's comment had more than one comment. They still hadn't talked about what had happened while Riley was unconscious, how she'd found him when she'd woken up. They'd both managed to avoid that subject, though Fred saw it as a subject that they didn't need to talk about it. Riley had a week left before she would be competing. After next week, it would all be over, and she'd be gone. They both knew that, and both were avoiding talking about it as much as possible.

A thought came to Fred's mind and he asked, "Ever find out what you're going to do about a wand, since yours isn't good for anything but kindling now?"

"Yeah," Riley said, continuing to look down at the paper. She hesitated, looked up at Fred and said, "Cedric got ahold of Ollivander, and I guess the old man's bringing me one the day before the Task. I have no idea what it's going to be like, but it's not like I have a lot of choices, and he said it would be perfect for me."

"Then it probably will be," Fred said, confident in Ollivander's abilities.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will," Riley said awkwardly. "It's just that... well... I've had my own wand for four years, and I really liked it. I mean, I created it so that it would be perfect for me."

"Yeah, but it's gone," Fred pointed out.

Riley nodded and said, "I know. That's why I'm not fighting it. In fact, I'm really grateful for Cedric going to all of this trouble for me."

"He feels bad," Fred said. "Reckons if he'd been there with you instead of Harry, things might have been different. Can't fault him for that." The fact was that he felt guilty, himself, about a lot of things, none of which he'd discussed with her, all of which he'd kept inside of him for the past three weeks, some of them longer than that.

Riley nodded again and said, "I know, and I don't; it's just weird to have someone offer to buy me a wand. It's not like they're cheap."

"True," Fred admitted. "He must feel really, _really_ bad about it." A thought came to him and he added, "That, or he's confident that he's going to win the Tournament and doesn't care about wasting money."

Riley smiled and said, "I honestly don't know him well enough to make that call."

Fred hesitated, and then dared to say, "It's a shame that you can't come back here, to stay," he added when he saw Riley look at him in surprise.

Riley's eyes softened to sympathy and understanding, also with a little regret mixed in. "I know," she admitted, looking down at the paper, turning the quill over in her fingers. "I've wondered about it at times, but everything comes back to the fact that... She looked at Fred and continued to say, "I'm not part of this school. It feels so natural to stay here; to be here with you guys, like I _belong_ here–"

"Then _stay_," Fred said quietly, hopefully and almost desperately.

Riley shrugged and asked, "How would I get back here? How could I afford it? Where would I stay in the summer? Would Aria come with me? There are too many variables and not enough certainties."

"Aria would come if it meant being with George," Fred pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"I have no money, Fred," Riley insisted as she shook her head. "I have no way of making it when school is out and during the summer." She saw Fred's gaze fall, and she said regretfully, "I'm a Silvergates student, and if Slater will have me back this next year, I need to go back."

"I know," Fred admitted, and then looked Riley in the eye as he said, "I just don't want to admit it."

"Neither do I," Riley admitted as she looked down at her hands. After a moment of silence, she looked up and said, "We have a week, and then it's good-bye."

"Yeah," Fred agreed in a sigh, not liking what he had to agree to.

Riley let out a sigh and looked back at the paper, struggling to keep her voice steady as she said, "All right, now, about this paper..."

Fred set a hand on Riley's bare lower back as he leaned in closer, where her shirt had slid up and revealed her back, and he felt her flinch beneath his touch. He was about to pull away when he felt her muscles relax beneath him, and he looked down at the paper, neither saying anything as they began to work.

* * *

Riley walked down the hallway of the corridor that led to Snape's dungeon when she heard a voice say her name. She, Harry, Hermione and Ron all stopped, looking back in surprise to see Cedric walking over, a serious and awkward look on his face. Riley had agreed to go with them to help Harry prepare for the task while Ron and Hermione took their finals in Charms and Potions. All of the other finals were scheduled for the three days later, the day of the Fourth Task.

Cedric walked over and said uncomfortably, "Sorry, guys, I just need Riley."

Riley looked over at her friends and said, "Go on, I'll try to be there for you guys before it's over."

Harry and his friends nodded before walking on, leaving Riley alone with Cedric. Riley turned to look at the second Hogwarts Champion, who was narrowing his eyes questioningly at her. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Riley lied as she looked down at the ground. When Cedric didn't say anything, she looked up and saw that he had fixed her with a questioning look. "It's nothing," she said, shaking her head. "I guess it's just becoming all too real; the idea of leaving the friends I've made this year is alarmingly close."

Cedric smiled and pointed out, "I know that we haven't spent a lot of time together, but I _am_ going to miss you once you're gone, you _and_ the other Silvergates students. You've definitely brought life to this school that wasn't here before."

Riley scoffed and said with a smile, "Well, it certainly hasn't been boring." Cedric smiled, Riley's eyes shining gratefully as she looked up at him. Finally, she asked, "You had something to tell me?"

"Yeah. Mr. Ollivander is here to see you," Cedric explained with a hopeful smile. "Wants to give you your new wand."

Riley's eyes lightened up in surprise, and Riley suddenly "Oh, that's right, I'd forgotten all about that."

"Well, he's in Dumbledore's office," Cedric said. "He wants to see you and have you test the wand out before the Task."

"Probably a good idea," Riley agreed as she and Cedric began to walk toward Dumbledore's office. "Better that I get it now, so that I can get a little practice in and not blow myself up during the Task." She saw Cedric smile and try not to laugh at that. She smiled herself and said seriously, "Thanks, by the way, for helping me out with the whole wand dilemma."

"No problem," Cedric said with a smile. "Consider it Hufflepuff's good-bye present to you."

Riley smiled and said, "Thanks, but I got enough presents while I was unconscious to feed an army for three years, and a third-world country."

Cedric chuckled and admitted with a smile, "Yeah, people do kind of give a lot around here when someone's terminally ill, don't they?"

"No kidding," Riley chuckled. "Fleur made me feel like a horse at the race track with that big bouquet, but I _love_ Krum's gift," she said with a smile as she held her arms out, showing off her new black, fire-proof leather jacket. It wasn't a vest like the one she'd had before, but she could easily replace that when she got back to America, especially if she won and got the purse... Still, this one was amazing, and it was the perfect size, easy to move about in and totally comfortable.

Cedric smiled and said, "It looks good on you, but – and I mean this in the absolutely least creepy way – when you lean over, or forward when you're sitting down, you kinda flash your backside to everyone." When Riley raised an eyebrow, Cedric held his hands up defensively and said, "I don't stare, but my classmates sure do." He hesitated, and then said, "You don't show your lower parts, but you give them a good view."

"'Lower parts'?" Riley repeated, fixing Cedric with a questioning look, her eyes filled with amusement; as if those were the only words she'd heard.

"Never mind," Cedric said, looking away while blushing.

Riley chuckled in amusement, amused by his embarrassment. Still, she didn't need Cedric to tell her that. She'd noticed it the other night, when she'd been with Fred. She felt chills go through her arms and fingertips when she thought of when he'd set his hand against her bare back, when he'd touched her. She'd felt as though her entire body had frozen and melted away at the same time. It was similar, but different to what she felt when Draco did the same thing. They were equal, but completely different, and Riley wasn't sure which made her more nervous.

It wasn't long before they reached the Hogwarts Headmaster's office, and as they walked in, Riley saw Mr. Ollivander standing inside, talking to Dumbledore. Riley noticed with surprise that there was a clay jar sitting on a stool in the center of the room, completely random and out of place for Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore turned his head and smiled, along with Mr. Ollivander as Riley walked in. "Good, good," Mr. Ollivander said as Riley walked in. He held his hand out to Riley, who shook it as he said, "It's good to see you again, Miss O'Malley, though I must apologize about your incident with the Third Task and your wand."

"Thank you, Mr. Ollivander," Riley said politely, nodding courteously to the man. "I did my best in the Task, and in the end, my attempts did not go without recognition, as it seems that I'm now tied for first place with Cedric and Harry."

"Yes, yes, of course," Mr. Ollivander said with a smile. "So I have read in the papers, along with a lot of rubbish that that Skeeter woman has to say..." He mumbled as he turned around and walked over to Dumbledore's desk, where an oak box lay, and Riley knew what it was. Mr Ollivander picked up the box and turned around to face Riley, the tips of the box resting on his fingertips, as though he was afraid to touch it. He walked over slowly and held it out carefully to Riley. "Go ahead," he said with a smile. "Take it."

Riley hesitated, then reached out to take the box from Mr. Ollivander. She took the lid off of the box and looked inside, surprised at what she found. It was her wand! It looked brand new, without a single smudge or fingerprint. She took it in her hand and felt it. It was cherry oak, like her wand, and felt exactly the same. Sure, it was newer...

"This is..." Riley began, sounding surprised as she took the wand out of the box. She held it in her hand and turned it over, examining it. She looked at Mr. Ollivander in confusion. "I don't understand... Did you repair my wand?"

"No, no," Mr. Ollivander said, shaking his head definitely. "No, in your wand's state, there isn't a single wand or wand-maker on earth who could have fixed it. No, this is a perfect replica, right down to the size and weight, along with composition. When I held your wand, I was able to sense everything in it, and recreate it. I've never used such temperamental ingredients, but it's a fine wand, if I do say so myself."

Riley turned her wrist over, feeling the wand in her hand. "I can't believe it's not my original wand," she said with dismay. "It feels exactly the same..."

"Precisely," Mr. Ollivander said with a satisfied nod. "I figured that – since you're a TriWizard Champion and have your final Task coming up – why not have the same wand that brought you here? Why not have it for the end? It took me a little longer than normal," he admitted with a frown, and then smiled as he said, "But I look forward to seeing you in your final Task, using _that_ wand."

Riley smiled at Mr. Ollivander and said sincerely, "Thank you, Mr. Ollivander, thank you so much."

"Well, give it a try," Dumbledore said, smiling and speaking for the first time during this visit. "That's what the clay pot is for."

Riley suddenly spun around, her wand in her right hand as she said aloud and with a firm, clear voice, "_Reducto!_"

The clay pot was suddenly hit with a blinding red jet of light and blasted into a million pieces, all over the room. Everyone looked impressed, and Mr. Ollivander looked thoroughly pleased. Riley then thought strongly, _Reparo! _And the pieces suddenly flew back together, making the pot seem as though it had never been damaged.

"Very good, very good," Mr. Ollivander said as he walked over. "How does it feel, Miss O'Malley?"

Riley smiled at Mr. Ollivander through narrowed eyes, her faith in the upcoming Task suddenly renewed tenfold. She then said with a sly, assured voice, "Perfect."

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!


	40. Chapter 38: Memories

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirty-eight: Memories

* * *

Riley felt her fingers twitch as she listened to Ron and Hermione talk with Harry about the Pensieve in Dumbledore's office, about the memory that he'd come across. Riley was eating across the table from Aria, who was talking with Fred and George. Riley pretended to be interested in her food, but the truth was that the only thing on her mind was what Harry and his friends were saying. If it was true...

"Riley."

Riley looked at Aria, who was staring at her with clear, firm eyes. "I can hear them, too," she said under her breath. "Don't even _think_ about it."

But Riley was thinking about it. She was doing more than that. She knew what she wanted to do, and not even Aria was going to stop her from doing it. There came a time in every person's life when they thought, "To hell with it," and went ahead with what they wanted, where their passions and impulses overtook their senses, driven by something that they wanted so badly that they could do anything for it, and _would_ do anything. Riley had been through that several times, but this was _nothing_ like that. This was way, _way_ more than that, and _nothing_ was going to stop her.

* * *

That night, at approximately one o'clock in the morning, Riley snuck out of the dormitory, silently making her way over toward the door that led out. She hurried down the steps that led down to the common room. Once she reached the room, the fire still ablaze to keep the room lit, Riley ran right out of the place, running into the hallway, where she resumed a slow, silent pace.

Riley kept walking, determined not to let anything get in her way tonight. It was too important. In fact, she had her new wand in her back pocket, ready to use it at any second. But her mind wasn't on that, it was on what she was headed toward, and what she would find when she reached it.

Then she reached it.

Riley walked into Dumbledore's office, looking around cautiously to make sure that no one was around. She sniffed the area, and was pleased when she realized that no one had been there in at least half an hour, probably since Dumbledore had gotten back from dinner.

Riley's eyes widened with awe and interest as her eyes fell on something on Dumbledore's desk, a large silver bowl with symbols and carvings etched into it. She walked over and found that there was a silvery, water-like substance in it. Riley turned her head and saw a tall stand with a bunch of small viles that glowed brilliantly, lighting up the room. Riley walked over, recognizing what they were, and began to examine the bottles. Some had names and labels, some didn't, and some had labels that Riley couldn't understand. Then Riley saw one labeled:

Meeting With Helen Mask and Stephen O'Malley

Riley's heart began to race with excitement, and her breathing began to grow louder as she looked at the vile. She picked it up in her hand and smiled down at it, determination in her eyes. She walked over to the Pensieve, pulled out her wand, and tapped the surface. It began to spin, and when Riley tipped the contents of the vile into the bowl, everything changed.

The silver liquid that came out of the vile hit the water and began to swirl around in it, spreading out like steam in water. Riley could see pictures of people in it, could hear faint voices. Riley hesitated, and then plunged her head in, unable to stop herself anymore.

* * *

Riley felt as though she'd suddenly been thrown off of a cliff, falling down at an extraordinary rate of speed. She'd read about this feeling, but nothing could have prepared her for it, the exhilarating and yet nauseating sensation. Then, Riley was suddenly standing at a doorway, looking into Dumbledore's office again. Things didn't seem quite the same, though, and it was daylight out, the sun streaming through the few big windows in the room.

Inside, Riley was surprised to see, were two people sitting in chairs that faced Dumbledore's desk. One was a girl with long wavy brown hair and wearing black robes. The other was a boy with black hair, kept neatly and also in black robes. As Riley walked closer and around to stand in front of them, she was surprised to see that the girl looked almost identical to Riley, wearing black Slytherin robes, a black sweater-vest, black skirt and black heels to match. The boy had green eyes, was wearing Gryffindor robes, and looked rather annoyed. He sat upright in his chair, but had his right elbow on the arm of the chair, all of his weight leaned on it. He had a large cut along his cheek, along with a black eye on the same side.

"Good going," the boy said sarcastically, raising his chin from on top of his folded fist and glared sideways at the girl. "Getting us sent into Dumbledore's office was a _real_ smart move, Mask."

"You want _another_ black eye?" the girl asked in a flat voice, not bothering to look at the boy as she spoke. Her eyes were filled with irritation.

"All right," a voice said, and Riley was surprised to see Dumbledore walk in from a side room, walking over to stand behind his desk and face the boy and girl. "I have to admit that I was shocked to hear that the two of you were being brought up. You two are usually two of my best students." He smiled at the boy and said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Although, I must say that I would have guessed you coming in here at _some_ time before graduation, considering your tense relationship. And Stephen, honestly, I would have expected to see you in here because of who you chose to befriend."

Riley's eyes widened in alarm and surprise as she looked back at the boy. The look that the boy gave Dumbledore was one she recognized well as her own, and she suddenly knew where she recognized him. This was her father, twenty years younger than in the dreams she'd had. Still, she could see the resemblance. Wait, then that must mean that the girl was-

Dumbledore looked at the girl and said, "But to have Helen Mask be brought to my office, I cannot count my surprises."

Helen, looking perfectly composed and confident, said in a clear voice, "Stephen and some of his Gryffindor friends were attacking one of the students in my House."

"Yeah, including _your boyfriend_," Stephen said, narrowing his eyes at Helen.

Helen ignored Stephen as she continued to say, "When I confronted them, they refused to stop, and I was forced to force them."

"Who was the student, might I ask?" Dumbledore asked, though Riley got the impression that he already knew.

"Severus Snape," Helen said, blinking calmly as she spoke.

"Like Snape is even worth a black eye and almost-curse," Stephen muttered, setting his chin back on his fist.

"I understand that you and your friends dislike Severus Snape, Stephen," Dumbledore said politely. "And under different circumstances, this discussion would be different, but the two of you _are _Prefects." That caught the attention of both kids, Stephen sitting up and suddenly looking at Dumbledore with a serious expression on his face. Dumbledore continued to say, "You cannot attack one another with magic and give the younger students the impression that it's permissible to do the same. They look up to you and follow your example."

"Hence, I switched to _physical_," Helen said, flexing her fingers. As Riley looked closer, she saw that Helen's knuckles were scratched and covered in dry blood from having contact with something hard.

"Only because I dodged your curse just in time," Stephen pointed out with eyes narrowed bitterly at Helen.

"Physical violence is not permissible either, Miss Mask," Dumbledore said, looking at Helen with a gentle gaze. She looked down and away, not saying anything in response. Dumbledore sighed and said, "I'll give you two a break with a single detention with me tomorrow night and eight o'clock, after dinner. Come here directly afterward. Until then, please return to your classes and do not fight again."

"Yes, Professor," both Stephen and Helen said as they stood up, holding their hands behind their backs respectfully.

"Miss Mask," Dumbledore said, looking at Helen. "Please stay for a minute. I would like to talk to you."

"Yes, Professor," Helen repeated.

Stephen hesitated, looking at Helen and Dumbledore for a moment, then stepped out from his chair and walked out the door, leaving the office. Once Stephen was gone, Dumbledore said, "Helen, why is it that you resorted to physical violence this time?"

Helen blinked and said, "Those boys have been attacking Severus for months. I got sick of it."

"As Mr. O'Malley pointed out, you have a romantic relationship with one of those boys," Dumbledore said.

Helen narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "I got my point across to him, as well, and if he doesn't learn to respect the students in my House as I respect the ones in his, things _will_ change between us _drastically_."

"Well, I'm not here to counsel you on your relationships," Dumbledore said politely, nodding to her. "But I _must _ask that you refrain from cursing the other students, especially those in Gryffindor."

"Professor?" Helen asked, her eyes narrowed as she tilted her head somewhat to the side.

Dumbledore sighed and said, "I know that you're used to hearing this from your teachers, Helen, but you aren't like any of the other Slytherin students." He saw Helen's eyes narrow slightly in annoyance, and he said, "This is not a bad thing, but your view on equality and respect between those who aren't lucky enough to have blood as pure as yours-"

"I don't care about whether a person is a Pureblood or not," Helen pointed out. "I mean, look at Potter and Black. They're both Purebloods and yet are friends with a halfblood and Lupin, who is a werewolf. Still, they're all best friends."

"Please let me finish," Dumbledore said, and Helen suddenly looked embarrassed. He then said, "As I was saying, your view on equality and respect between those who aren't lucky enough to have blood as pure as yours isn't seen anywhere else in Slytherin, yet you were chosen as fairly as any of your classmates. The Sorting Hat chose you to be in Slytherin, and I believe that's where you belong, though I do agree with the opinions of some teachers that you would have fit well in _any_ of the Houses." Helen smiled at this praise, and Dumbledore continued to say, "Still, you _are _in Slytherin, and your views have not gone unnoticed by anyone, especially by those in your House. The Head of your House tells me that you are of great attention and influence to those you come into contact, so I would appreciate it, if for only your classmates' sake, you refrain from attacking others with magic. You've done a great deal for the Slytherins, but I'm afraid that if they become under the impression that it's all right to attack Gryffindors in your opinion, that it's okay for everyone."

Helen blinked and said, "I understand, Professor."

"That's all," Dumbledore said, nodding. "You may go join Mr. O'Malley out in the hallway, and tell him that I say hello."

Helen smiled and said, "Not a problem." With that, she turned and walked outside the office.

* * *

All of a sudden, Riley felt herself being yanked upward and out of the office, as though being sucked up into a tornado. The next thing she knew, she was being thrown across Dumbledore's office, rolling over and hitting her head against a bookcase.

Riley moaned as she reached back and rubbed the back of her head with her right hand. She looked up to see what had happened, and saw Professor Dumbledore standing by the Pensieve, looking over at her through narrowed eyes that were as dark as the

"Professor," Riley said, catching her breath as she stood up and faced Dumbledore, not sure what else to say.

"Miss O'Malley," Dumbledore said in response. "Have a good watch?"

"Actually, yes," Riley admitted, seemingly unbothered by being caught. "Very educational."

"You know, you're a lot more like your mother than I gave you credit for," Dumbledore said, picking up the vile that had contained the memory. He pulled his wand out to the Pensieve and the memory suddenly floated out of it in a silver wisp. "Breaking into my office to look at things that aren't your own. If I hadn't predicted you coming in, you might have gotten away with it, too, just like she always did."

"I thought my mother obeyed the rules strictly," Riley admitted, sounding as surprised as she felt by this revalation.

Dumbledore chuckled and said, "Oh, no, your mother was quite notorious amongst us teachers for getting away with crimes, too many to count because we could never _prove _anything. She always managed to clean up the evidence behind her, or work solo so that no one could tell on her. Still, breaking into my office, Miss O'Malley, is a very serious crime, and were you in my school, you would probably be facing suspension, even expulsion."

Riley blinked and asked seriously, "Would you like me to apologize, to say I'm sorry? Because I'm not, so I won't."

"Then no," Dumbledore admitted as he put the vile back on his shelf. "I will not ask you to apologize if you don't mean it. I would, at least, like you to admit that what you did was wrong."

"I _will _admit that," Riley admitted. "But I still wouldn't take it back, even if I had the option."

"I understand," Dumbledore said, nodding and looking back at the Pensieve. "Believe me, I understand completely."

Riley raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're not going to ask me why I did it, broke into your office and looked at your memories?"

"I don't need to," Dumbledore said as he faced Riley. "I _know_ why you did what you did. In fact, I'm surprised that it took you _this_ _long _to come looking for my memories of your parents."

"Would you have shown them to me voluntarily if I'd asked?" Riley asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No," Dumbledore admitted. "But I don't believe that's the reason that you waited. No, if I were to take a guess, I'd say that you didn't even know I had a Pensieve. You probably overheard Harry tell Ron and Hermione about what he saw in it after his visit earlier, and decided to see if you could find anything out about your parents." He nodded to the viles. "That's why I labeled that one, and only that one, in a way that you would understand it."

"You knew that I would come," Riley said, somewhat surprised and alarmed at this.

Dumbledore smiled and said, "I was sure of it, and if nothing else, it makes the filing of viles much easier when they're labeled."

"Can you blame me for coming?" Riley asked, raising an eyebrow again. "I've never met my parents, and never will. I only have facts about the, surrounding their deaths. I've been researching for years, but all I've ever found out was about how they died. Your Pensieve is the only thing I've ever been able to find that tells me about them, lets me get to see them and know them. That's as close to them as I will ever be, the only memories of them that I will ever have."

"But they are not your memories," Dumbledore said strongly and darkly, surprising Riley as he looked at her through narrowed eyes, the twinkle in them suddenly gone. "When a memory is voluntarily given, it's a gift, something to share. Now, I knew that you would come looking, so I left this one out. I gave it to you, but had you gone through my other memories in search for them, you would have been crossing a boundary."

"Like mother like daughter," Riley said, frowning seriously. She knew that had she had the chance, she would have looked through anything or done anything for those memories. She wanted them, to be close to her parents again.

"Yes, your mother had a knack for breaking the rules, just like your father," Dumbledore agreed. "But she never would have gone through my personal supplies or memories without my permission."

"My father," Riley said, moving on to another thought. "Stephen, he was friends with Harry's parents, wasn't he? The boyfriend that my father referred to my mother having, who was also Stephen's friend, that was James Potter."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow in surprise and said, "Yes, yes he was. Your father was on the Quidditch team with James Potter, the team's Keeper. Your mother was Slytherin's Beater. She joined the team during her second year, just like James and Stephen. Stephen was closer to Remus Lupin than James, while James and Sirius Black were extremely close. Still, they were all a very close group, and they would have done anything for each other."

"I gathered," Riley said. "What made you think that I would come looking for your memories?"

"Family resemblance," Dumbledore said with a smile. "You're so much like your parents, your knack for rebellion." He then said more seriously, "Go, Riley, and don't come back looking for my memories. Should I choose to show them to you, that's one thing, but never come looking to steal them again."

Riley turned and began to walk away, sensing that she wasn't going to get any more out of Dumbledore tonight. _Still_, she thought with a dark smile. Tonight had been worth it.

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!


	41. Chapter 39: It's All For You, Harry

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Thirty-nine: It's All For You, Harry

* * *

Riley sat on her bed, her head leaned over as she listened to music from her MP3 player. She had had an interesting time the night before - along with Aria - trying to explain the function of an MP3 player to most of the kids in the Gryffindor house. Somehow, they thought that there was magic involved in listening to music from a stationary device. Still, listening to her favorite music seemed to relax Riley, make it easier to deal with the nerves of having to compete.

Today was the fourth and final Task. After today, all of the stress over the TriWizard Tournament would be over, she could go home, and things would go back to normal.

"Riley," a familiar voice said, waking Riley from her thoughts.

Riley hesitated before looking up, pulling her headphones off of her ear and setting them against her neck. She turned around and was surprised to see Slater walking over. Riley looked around and asked awkwardly, "Uh, Professor, why are you in the girl's dorm?"

"I needed to tell you something before all of the commotion begins," Slater explained in a simple, emotionless tone.

Riley shrugged and said, "Go ahead, since there aren't any other girls in here, at the moment. However, you might want to be gone before they leave. They tend to get sensitive about having men in here; particularly the Hogwarts girls, and the younger ones are the worst offenders of all."

Slater hesitated, and then said, "I know that Karkaroff has gone out of his way to make your life miserable this year..." Riley rolled her eyes and looked away, and Slater said, "I've done my best to stand up for you to the others, especially after that fire incident." Riley frowned, looking around nervously. "Now, I understand that it wasn't your fault, even with the message. I want you to be careful today, because we're going to need you this next year."

Riley looked at Slater in surprise and asked, "So, I'm not-"

"No, you and Aaron won't be expelled," Slater said, nodding slightly. "You've done exceptionally well in this tournament, Riley, better than I could have ever dreamed of. I've realized that I underestimated you, that I didn't give you anywhere near the credit that you deserved. You've put up with a lot, and you're welcome to return to Silvergates next year."

Riley hesitated, and then said, "Thank you, Professor."

"Um, I hate to butt in," a voice said, and Riley saw Aria walking over. Aria looked up at Slater and said, "Professor Dumbledore would like you to head over to the area designated for judges."

Slater nodded and turned to look at Riley. "You'd better get yourself ready."

Riley nodded and stood up, pushing her MP3 player into the pocket of her leather vest. She left her headphones around her neck. She was wearing the same outfit that she'd worn for the past three Tasks, amazed that it had withstood everything up until this point.

"You wanna head down?" Aria asked curiously with a nod to the door.

"Why?" Riley asked, confused. "It's just the Champions' families coming in, and I don't exactly have any."

"That's not true," Aria said, nudging Riley in the arm with her elbow.

Riley chuckled and said, "All right. Let's go spy on the others and their families."

"That's my sis," Aria laughed, and the two girls walked off.

* * *

When they reached the Great Hall, Riley was surprised to see two people with Harry. She knew that Harry was an orphan like she was, so she couldn't understand who would be with him. Surely not his terrible aunt, uncle and cousin! Then Riley saw that both of the people with Harry had blazing red hair, and she tried not to smile too hard. These must be the Weasleys.

"Surprise!" the senior woman said excitedly as Harry walked over, looking thrilled. "Thought we'd come and watch you, Harry!" She bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

"You all right?" said the boy standing with her, grinning at Harry and shaking his hand. "Charlie wanted to come, but he couldn't get time off. He said that you were incredible against the Horntail."

Riley tried not to laugh when she noticed that Fleur was looking over at Bill with great interest, a boy with slightly longer hair and a necklace made out of dragons teeth. Personally, Riley was more interested in the necklace than in the boy, though there was no denying that Bill had inherited some very good looks along the way. He had the rugged looks that suggested he spent of time working hard, but carried himself in a way that suggested he also knew how to live in 'sophistication.'

'This is really nice of you," Harry muttered to the woman, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I thought for a moment – the Dursleys -"

"Hmm," the small woman said in an obviously displeased tone. "Yes, well..."

Harry looked over and his eyes brightened when he saw Riley and Aria. "Riley! Aria! Come over here!"

Riley felt a rush of surprise, but she and Aria continued to walk over. The man and woman looked over at them in surprise, and the woman said, "Oh, you must be Riley O'Malley, the Silvergates Champion!"

Riley nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am, I am."

"So polite," the woman said in surprise. "Well, I'm Molly Weasley, and this is my son Bill."

"I'm Riley, as you know, and this is my best friend, Aria Hardwick," Riley said, smiling politely as she nodded to Aria.

"Nice to meet you," Aria said, smiling bright and welcomingly.

"Did you say that your name was 'O'Malley'?" Bill asked, looking at Riley.

"Yes," Riley said, nodding uncertainly.

"I think I remember that name from somewhere," Bill said, looking confused as he suddenly went deep into thought.

Riley suddenly tensed up, and Mrs. Weasley rushed to say, "Must be all of the newspaper articles on her, Bill dear. Now," she said, looking back at Riley and Aria, "I understand from Ginny's letters that you two have been spending a lot of time with Fred and George."

Aria blushed a hundred shades of red, and Riley couldn't help but look at Aria with an amused and knowing smile. Mrs. Weasley looked thrilled, and Bill's eyes lit up with mischief.

"Really?" Bill asked with interest.

"Oh, dear, I've got her embarrassed," Mrs. Weasley said, trying to hide her pleasure. "Well, just so you know, you two are welcome at our house anytime. It's good to see that Fred and George have got some ladies of good influence in their acquaintance."

Riley cleared her throat awkwardly, not sure that she would be exactly considered 'of good influence'.

Bill seemed to catch the awkwardness, and he asked, "Fancy giving us a tour, Harry?"

"Yeah, okay," said Harry. He looked at Riley and Aria and asked, "Wanna come with us?"

"Sure," Aria said with a careless shrug, only to follow them away.

"Fine by me," Riley said in agreement. "Task isn't for a while yet."

"Hey, what's _that?_" Bill asked, looking at the MP3 player that Riley had pulled out to silence the sound of dozens of people chattering.

"Oh, here we go again," Aria said, rolling her eyes in grief.

The group was making their way toward the Great Hall's door, Riley _attempting_ to explain the function of an MP3 player to Bill, when they passed someone who Riley guessed was Cedric Diggory's father, based on the similar looks. "There you are, are you?" he said, looking Harry up and down. "Bet you're not feeling quite as full of yourself now Cedric's caught you up on points, are you?"

/"What?" said Harry, clearly thrown by the abrupt questions.

"Ignore him," Riley head Cedric say in a low voice to Harry. "He's been angry ever since Rita Skeeter's article about the TriWizard Tournament – you know, when she made out you were the only Hogwarts Champion."

"Didn't bother to correct her, though, did he?" said Amos Diggory, loudly enough for Harry to hear as he started to walk out of the door with Mrs. Weasley and Bill. "Still... you'll show him, Ced. Beaten him once before, haven't you?"

"Rita Skeeter goes out of her way to cause trouble, Amos!" Mrs. Weasley said angrily. "I would have thought you'd know that, working at the Ministry!"

"Hey, Riley!" Cedric said aloud, his eyes bright and welcoming as he beckoned Riley with his left hand. "Come over here, I'd like my family to meet you."

Riley blinked in surprise, and said over at her friends, "Go on without me. I'll finish talking to you later, Bill." He nodded, and Riley walked over to join Cedric with his parents.

"Mum, Dad, this is Riley O'Malley," Cedric said, sounding pleased as he introduced Riley to his parents.

"Oh, so you're the Champion from the other school," Amos Diggory said in surprise. "The one who's tied with our boy, along with Harry Potter."

"Yes, sir," Riley said, nodding.

"Aren't you underage?" Mrs. Diggory asked in surprise.

"Yes," Riley said awkwardly. "A classmate of mine entered my name into the Goblet, and once my name was chosen, there was no going back."

"So we know," Mrs. Diggory said, looking proudly at Cedric. "I was so afraid that my Cedric would get himself hurt, or worse, but he can't exactly back out now, can he?"

"I think I remember Rita Skeeter writing a piece on you," Amos Diggory said, looking at Riley through narrowed eyes. "Right after the fire here..."

"Uh, yeah," Riley said awkwardly. "I'm not a fan of Rita Skeeter because of her tendency to over-indulge herself in conjecture and fiction masqueraded as truth, and flaunt her premature assumptions about people and their standings on certain issues."

"Don't I know it?" Amos scoffed, setting his hands in his pockets and standing with a very self-assured pose.

"So, you _didn't_ start the fire as an attempt for attention?" Mrs. Diggory asked nervously.

"Mum, of course not!" Cedric exclaimed in disbelief. "Not everything Rita Skeeter says is true."

_Very little of it, anyway_, Riley thought, and she blinked gratefully at Cedric, who nodded back at her with respect. Riley said, "No, I didn't start the fire. The fact is that I'm terrified of any fire that's located outside of a fireplace." Amos and Mrs. Diggory looked embarrassed when Riley admitted that, and Cedric looked surprised. Riley went on to say, "I'm not sure if it was a prank, or what it was, but someone did write a message up on the wall, aimed directly at me. That's where Rita got her assumptions that it was about me."

"Certainly safe to say that Hogwarts has become even more dangerous than ever," Amos said with a displeased scowl.

"Every place is that way, Dad," Cedric pointed out. "It's kind of unavoidable these days, danger is."

"Excuse me, who are _your_ parents?" Mrs. Diggory asked, looking at Riley. "I'd like very much to meet them."

"Mum," Cedric said awkwardly.

"It's okay, Cedric." Riley hesitated, and then said, "My parents are dead, Mrs. Diggory." She saw Cedric's parents look at her in surprise, Mrs. Diggory looking embarrassed. "They died when I was only two."

"I'm so sorry," Mrs. Diggory said, his eyes filled with regret. "I keep fumbling over myself, don't I?"

"It's not your fault," Riley said, shaking her head. "Most people don't know. I grew up in an orphanage in America until I was old enough to attend school."

"You mean Durmstrang?" Amos asked. "Where you got expelled from?"

Riley gritted her teeth, wanting to shoot Rita Skeeter with something hard and sharp. "Yes," she said, struggling to keep her voice even.

"All right, Mum, Dad," Cedric said uncomfortably. "I think the interrogation has been quite thorough enough. Come on, I'd like to take you guys for a tour." He began to lead his parents away, looking back and mouthing the word, "Sorry."

Riley waved him on, shrugging carelessly, and she rolled her eyes, making a mental note to kill Rita Skeeter the next time she had the chance.

* * *

The afternoon passed slowly, but Riley spent most of it wandering around the castle, listening to her MP3 player. She'd met up with several people from different houses, stopping to talk to Chaz, Aaron, Draco, Pansy, and a few kids from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff who'd come by to congratulate her and wish her good-luck. Still, Riley continued on down the hallway, listening to her favorite songs and trying to keep the final task as far away from her mind as possible. She even caught herself dancing in the hallway to the music playing, just because she wanted to get herself apart from everything that was confusing and nerve-wracking.

Riley eventually stopped walking when she reached a large painting of Rowena Ravenclaw in her old-fashioned robes, standing beside Salazar Slytherin and the other founders. Riley looked up at the picture and thought, You were my great-great-great aunt, and yet you couldn't be there for Rona when she needed you.

Riley looked down at her right wrist and reached for the wristband. She unsnapped the clips of the band, pulling the leather wristband off. Her skin was extremely pale by nature, but the skin that had been covered by the wristband was even paler than normal because of a lack of exposure to the light. It was almost solid white (if there is such a thing.) Riley turned her wrist over and looked down at the tattoo there on her forearm, a black raven with its head raised and its red eyes narrowed in determination, its wings clutched tightly against its body.

Riley smiled as she looked at the tattoo. _I've gotten here on my own, and with the help of my friends,_ she thought. _That's how I'm going to leave._

"Riley," a voice said, catching Riley's attention.

Riley turned her head and saw Harry standing down at the end of the hallway, looking over at her. She quickly put her wristband back on, hiding the tattoo before Harry could see it. "It's time," Harry said, looking as nervous as Riley felt.

"Right," Riley said, nodding and finishing up before running over to stand beside him.

They walked out onto the Quidditch field, which was now completely unrecognizable. A twenty-foot-high hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gap right in front of them, the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it looked dark and creepy.

Within five minutes, the stands had begun to fill, the air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as hundreds of students filed into their seats. Riley looked around, feeling overwhelming pressure rise in her. Aria, who was down on the flat with her, cheering her on where family stood with the other Champions, waited for Riley to finish listening to her music. When McGonagall gave the Champions the sign that they only had a few minutes left, Riley pulled her headphones off, feeling both confident and scared. She handed Aria the headphones and MP3 player and waited for instructions. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the Champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," said Professor McGonagall to the Champions. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"

The Champions nodded.

"Off you go, then," said Bagman brightly to the four patrollers.

"Good luck," Hagrid whispered, and the five of them walked away in different directions, to station themselves around the maze. Bagman now used the spell that allowed for his voice to echo around the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the fourth and final task of the TriWizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with one hundred and twenty points each – Mr. Cedric Diggory, Mr. Harry Potter – both of Hogwarts -, and Miss Riley O'Malley of Silvergates!" There was a loud stream of applause that made Riley feel even more nervous, as though her throat was so tight that it would collapse. "In second place, one hundred and ten points, Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "And in third place, Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy!"

Riley could just make out the Weasleys applauding from way up the stands, and Fred looking down at her in approval. She could also see Draco and Lucius Malfoy sitting in the far side of the stands, looking down as well. Riley rolled her eyes, feeling extraordinarily nervous right now.

"So... on my whistle, Harry, Riley and Cedric!" said Bagman excitedly. "Three – two – one -"

He gave a short blast of his whistle, and all three Champions shot forward into the maze.

The towering hedges cast black shadows across the path, and, whether because they were so tall and thick, or because they had been enchanted, the sound of the surrounding crowd was silenced the moment they entered the maze. Riley was amazed at how much this relaxed her, allowed her to concentrate on the task ahead of her.

Riley drew her wand out of her back pocket and thought to herself, _Lumos maximus._ Instantly, light began to form around the tip of Riley's wand, spreading out elsewhere. Riley knew that Cedric and Riley were in here, and she could hear them call out and say their own lighting spells. Riley raced down one of the aisles, looking around in confusion. She hadn't been involved in a maze in a long time, not since going to the pumpkin patch at the age of...

Riley shook her head, re-focusing on the situation and not of herself at the age of eight. She looked around, moving as she went. She knew that this place was enchanted, and that at any moment, something terrible would pop out.

Riley heard Bagman's whistle for the second time, and she knew that Krum had just entered the maze, which meant that she had to speed this up. A minute later, Riley heard Bagman's whistle again. Fleur was inside.

Riley ran down as far and fast as she could, turning instinctively with each dead-end that came. She ran into a few dead-ends, only to turn around and find herself going in the opposite direction that her instincts had told her to. Finally, she stopped and rolled her eyes, saying to herself, "Forget this." Riley suddenly transformed into a wolf and lifted her head, drinking in all of the scents in the area. Her ears pricked forward with surprise when she recognized a few of them: Snake, Spider, the four other Champions, and something else, something misty and watery. She could hear Harry in this distance yell, "_Riddikulus_!"

Riley felt fear penetrate her. A boggart? If she faced a boggart, she was done for. She still couldn't get over her fear of fiend fire.

Riley suddenly felt something coming up behind her. She spun around and growled threateningly when she saw a dementor flying toward her. Riley jumped up, transforming back into a human, and thrust her wand forward as she yelled, "_Expecto Patronum!_" All of a sudden, a silver tiger erupted from the end of Riley's wand, leaping forward and running straight at the dementor. It let out a shrill scream and flew away, causing Riley to pant with exhaustion. She shook it off and transformed back into a wolf, turning and following the scent of Moody, relying on her senses as she ran further into the maze.

Riley ran for as far as she could until she caught sight of a huge scorpion-like creature. She growled in dislike. Skrewts. _Yuck_. Hideous creatures, and pains in the butts to destroy.

Riley transformed back into a human and pointed her wand at the large creature as it went toward her. Get ready for a shock, pal, Riley thought, and then said aloud, "_Fulgur e Deus!_" A huge blast of lightning erupted from the end of Riley's wand and hit the skrewt, sending it flying back as it possibly could go. Lightning continued to surge from Riley's wand, making sure that the creature didn't find a way to get back up.

* * *

Aria, who was sitting in the stands, watching the lightning as it erupted from the maze, asked aloud, "Is that a good thing?" She turned and looked at Professor McGonagall, who looked dumbfounded.

"I'm not sure," Professor McGonagall admitted.

"Don't worry," Moody grunted. "It's just Riley doing her mojo." He then thought, _You're not getting to that Cup, girlie, even if you __**can **__smell me on it._

* * *

Riley felt her energy drain as she finished the lightning attack. She couldn't do many more of those, or she'd be done for in no time. Riley had taken less than ten steps when she heard a sound that sounded a lot like a roar. Her eyes widened in alarm when she turned her head back and saw the hedge begin to cave in, moving fast toward her.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!" Riley exclaimed as she ran forward, running for everything she had. (A/N: I'm sorry, but that's probably my favorite part of this chapter, just because it's funny to imagine) She leapt out and transformed back into a wolf, cursing under her breath as she ran, barely moving fast enough to get out of the way of the collapsing hedge. She ran as fast as she could, caught somewhere between sniffing out the Cup and running for her life.

"_Crucio_!"

_Aaah_! Riley thought, but barely managed to dodge the spell as it came flying toward her. Instead, Riley fumbled over, barely catching herself in time to transform back into a human. Riley grabbed her wand and turned to look at who had tried to attack. Her eyes widened in alarm when she saw Cedric facing Viktor, Cedric screaming in pain as Viktor attacked him.

"Viktor?" Riley exclaimed in disbelief. She pointed her wand at Viktor, just as she saw Harry appear, and she thought in panic, "_Relashio_!" The attack hit Viktor and sent him flying up against the farthest wall. Cedric fell to the ground, Harry running to his side. Riley realized that it was best that she didn't stay around, and transformed back into a wolf before darting off, following her sense of smell.

Harry walked over to help Cedric up to his feet. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yeah," panted Cedric. "Yeah... I don't believe it... he crept up behind me... I heard him, I turned around, and he had his wand on me..."

Cedric got up. He was still shaking. He and Harry looked down at Krum.

"I can't believe this... I thought he was all right," Harry said, staring at Krum.

"So did I," Cedric admitted, looking just as nervous as Harry felt.

"Did you hear Fleur scream earlier?" asked Harry.

"Yeah," said Cedric as he looked around. "You don't think Krum got her, too?"

"I don't know," said Harry slowly, uncomfortable by his lack of knowledge.

"Wait a minute," Cedric said, confused. "You didn't just save me now, did you?"

"No," Harry said, looking just as confused. "I had just come up when I saw Viktor go flying, but I didn't see who it was."

"You think it was Riley?" Cedric asked in surprise, looking around. "I don't see her."

"Who else?" Harry asked, shrugging. "If Krum _did_ get Fleur, she'd be the only one left. No one can help us in here."

"I don't know," Cedric said, looking down at Krum. "But we need to get this guy out of here, as much as I hate the idea of him getting help when he was just willing to kill the both of us." All the same, he raised his wand and shot a shower of red sparks into the air, which hovered high above Krum, marking the spot where he lay.

* * *

Ginny's eyes shook nervously as she watched the sparks rise into the air. Which one was it? Fleur had already been dragged out, and then there was the lightning... and now someone _else_ was quitting? Who was it?

* * *

Riley raced through the path, feeling energy drain from her. She wasn't sure if it was because of all of the attacks that she'd used, all of her old injuries coming up on her, or if there was something about this place that was draining energy from her intentionally.

Soon, she fell upon a door with three bottles above it and a stand beside it, almost like a birdbath with a bowl on the stand. Riley stood up in human form, looking at the bowl and the door. She looked at the door and saw that there were engravings on it. It was Latin, and as she read it, she saw that it said, "If you can read this, you've mastered the past. Now find out if you know which of these three will help the creature you will face, or face the fangs of your ignorance."

Riley raised an eyebrow in confusion as she looked at the three bottles above the door. One was a green liquid, one was a silver, and one was a red. She set her hands against the bottles, and she jumped back as the door began to slowly open. She waited, staring at the door awkwardly, not knowing what she was going to face. As she began to see what was in the other room, her eyes widened in alarm.

"Oh, crap," Riley said in horror as she saw what was in front of her.

Tied up to chains, around its neck, wrists and ankles, was a werewolf. It was transformed, as right above it was an artificial Full Moon, hovering in the air and keeping it in its form.

"You have _got_ to be kidding," Riley thought in disbelief. She looked at the ingredients and took in a deep breath, drinking in the smells. She recognized them, the ingredients for a Wolfsbane potion. Riley grabbed at the bottles and quickly withdrew them, but as she did, she saw the chains on the werewolf begin to loosen, and she marveled in disbelief. The closer she got, the more reign the werewolf would have.

The werewolf leapt out, yanking against the chains that prevented him from getting her. Riley quickly thought about everything she'd read about the Wolfsbane potion. She'd never made one, but she'd seen it made by her Potions teacher. She _had_ to remember.

_Where is Aria when you need her?_ Riley thought bitterly to herself as she began to make the potion.

The werewolf howled, and then barked angrily, drool draining from his mouth.

* * *

"What is _that?_" Cedric exclaimed as he heard a howl while Harry fought the giant spider.

Harry looked back in horror, his eyes widening when he recognized the howl. "It's a _werewolf__!_"

"They let a werewolf loose in here?" Cedric exclaimed in disbelief. "Are they _trying_ to kill us?"

"It must be after Riley!" Harry exclaimed in disbelief.

"We can't go look for her," Cedric said. "We're almost there. Come on."

Harry hesitated, and then thought, _I have to believe in her._ With that, he turned and ran off, following Cedric. _If anyone can make it on their own against a werewolf, it's Riley. Right?_

Riley suddenly heard a cracking sound. As she looked back at the werewolf, she saw that the bolts that were connected to the far wall were loosening. Riley began to open the bottles of the potion ingredients and pulled out her wand. She then said aloud, "Potion that calms the crazy of the moon, third of silver stream, fourth of eye of newt." Two of the bottles, the red and silver broke, the contents hovering in the air, but not yet mixing as they spiraled one another, as though having been stopped in a picture while falling to the ground. Riley struggled to remember the incantation as she heard the werewolf barking even louder, yanking harder and harder against the chains, breaking free of the leg chains. He then began pulling against the neck one and the wrist ones. Riley's eyes widened in alarm, but she continued to speak in Latin, saying, "And heart of dragon, to be calm!" The jar with the green liquid suddenly broke and the three liquids combined, giving off a bright light and splashing into the bowl, an almost vomit-like color.

Instantly as the potion was formed, the chains around the werewolf disappeared, and it leapt forward. Riley grabbed the bowl with the potion and thrust it forward, the potion hitting the werewolf and breaking the bowl at the same time. The werewolf howled in surprise, the contents draining into his mouth as it did so. It's eyes went wide with alarm, Riley feeling the energy in her draining faster and faster with each time she used magic. She didn't have much left. She couldn't even transform now. This place was draining the magical energy out of her, as though it didn't want her to continue.

* * *

_Yes, yes, _Moody thought, twitching his fingers in a circular motion. _That's it. Now she gets it._

* * *

Aria looked over at Moody's fingers and narrowed her eyes in alarm when she saw that they were moving in a circular motion. _What is he doing?_ She wondered, but didn't say aloud.

* * *

Draco blinked in surprise when he saw his father stand up. "Father?" he asked expectantly.

"I must take my leave, Draco," Lucius said, looking down at Draco with a knowing look. "I have _somewhere_ I have to be."

Draco nodded in acknowledgment, knowing what his father meant. Lucius then walked out of the stands, not to return.

* * *

Riley waited until the werewolf turned back into human form, and then she staggered on, not daring to touch the walls, but stopping every several feet to hold onto her knees and catch her breath. Then, Riley saw it.

Up ahead, Riley saw the TriWizard Cup. Hope flared in her, and she suddenly felt renewed strength. She began to move faster, even into a run, until she was within five feet of it. She was about to reach out to grab it, when she heard Harry yell, "Riley!"

Riley turned around to see Harry and Cedric running over, something following them. Her eyes widened in alarm to see something heading straight for them. It was huge, an enormous snake with red eyes and big fangs. Riley's eyes filled with shock. She could barely believe it.

"Riley, help!" Harry exclaimed in panic. "I dropped my wand."

"_Accio wand!_" Riley yelled, and Harry's wand suddenly came flying toward her. She threw it to Harry and he grabbed it, spinning around. But before he could attack it, the snake bit down on his shoulder with its fangs. Harry let out a horrific scream, and Cedric pointed his wand at it.

"Ri-ri-" He couldn't finish the words.

"_Stop_," Riley said, her voice that of a hiss.

The snake suddenly stopped biting Harry and looked up. Cedric stared at the snake in fear, and Harry fell to the ground, gripping at his shoulder.

Riley held a hand out to the snake, pointing at its eyes with her right and middle finger. Cedric looked between the snake and Riley, and his eyes widened with alarm and fear as he realized the truth.

Moody narrowed his eyes. _I wasn't expecting this._

"_Get away from the boy,_" Riley hissed.

"_Who are __**you**_ _to order me?_" the snake hissed.

"_I__'m a Parstlemouth, and as so, I command you_," Riley hissed. "_Now, get away before I destroy you_."

"_You wouldn't dare_," the snake hissed back.

Riley raised her wand and pointed it at the snake. "_Get away from him. Face me, your equal; your __**master, **__who you defy_."

"_No, Riley,_" Harry rasped, understanding what they were saying.

"_Go, Harry,_" Riley hissed over her shoulder. "_This one is mine._"

"_Your voice_," the snake hissed. "_Those eyes. I recognize the scent of your blood. You're a Ravenclaw. I've smelt that blood before, and I know it well. The blood of Rona was particularly wonderful; snakes of my kind can live a long time, even if not as long as the Immortal Snake (1) and I knew Rona, the first Parstlemouth Ravenclaw._"

Riley's eyes narrowed and she said, "_You may have known Rona's blood, but you won't know mine_." She held her hands out to either side, focusing all of her energy. She focused on the connection between her snake power and the giant snake's, clutching that connection with all of her might. The snake arched its head back and let out a horrific shriek. Riley couldn't move her head, but she managed to hiss, "_Harry, go__. Get out of here._"

"_No!_" Harry exclaimed, barely able to get to his feet. "_You were here first_."

Riley thought about the trophy and prize, and then said to Harry, "_No, Harry, I might have been here first, but __**you're**__ the one who needs to go on. This is your Tournament; __**you're**_ _the one who's meant to win. __**You're**_ _the real Champion. The rest of us are just here for the ride, and that includes me._"

"_No, Riley!_" Harry exclaimed.

"_Go!_" Riley hissed.

"Could you two stop creeping me out and speak normally?" Cedric asked, backing away from both Riley and Harry, looking at them as though they were aliens that had come to kidnap him.

"If she stops, the snake starts up again," Harry explained in English.

"Oh," Cedric said in surprise. He froze in his spot, looking around anxiously before he said quickly, "Never mind. Continue, for as long as you want."

"She wants us to leave," Harry explained.

"_What?_" Cedric asked in surprise, looking at Riley. "You want _us_ to leave? _You_ got here first. You won, Riley."

"_Get out!_" Riley hissed, sounding as deadly as the snake she was keeping eye contact. When it moved its head, she moved her own, not bothering to blink as she maintained eye contact. "_I'll meet up with you guys at the finish line._"

"Let's go!" Harry yelled, not bothering to argue.

Harry and Cedric ran forward, and they grabbed onto the Cup at the exact same moment, disappearing. Riley blinked in relief, releasing the snake, and instantly feeling the break of their connection. The snake immediately lunged forward, hissing, "_I'll kill you!_"

Riley's eyes narrowed and she thought, _I never could bring myself to do this, but now_... Riley suddenly yelled out in Latin, "_Arise, fire of hell!_"

Fiendfyre suddenly erupted from the tip of Riley's wand, engrossing the snake. She could feel the heat, feel the power of it, and she felt as though she was back in that nursery, pictures of flames arising in her mind. She could hear screams, of the snake and of people, and she felt more scared than she ever had before in her life. Still, she didn't release it. She couldn't.

Suddenly, Riley felt all energy leave her body as she released the spell. She heard the snake cry out and hiss in pain as it stumbled. It fell forward. Riley looked up, her vision fading, as the snake came falling down toward her, his fangs baring. Her eyes wide in alarm, Riley tried moving, but it was too late. She felt something piercing her right shoulder, pinning her to the ground. She gasped for air, feeling the fang of the snake rip through and out her shoulder, keeping her against the ground.

Riley could barely breathe. She could barely see, but she grabbed her wand and thought, _Help... me..._ With that, her eyes rolled back and her head fell, falling unconscious.

* * *

1) I've made this type of snake up, which is identified in the next chapter. The comment the snake makes refers to his species being old, but not like the Immortal Snake, which is meant to be a basilisk, but I wouldn't think that an old snake would call a basalisk by our terms.

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!


	42. Chapter 40: At The Finish Line

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

* * *

Chapter Forty: At The Finish Line

* * *

Aria stared in fear, having heard the sound of snake voices, and Aria speaking in Parstletongue from a distance, even through the screams. It was one of the effects of being a Parstlemouth herself, but it couldn't be good. She saw red sparks fly into the air, and as she did, she stood up, as did many of the others, all trying to see who it was that was being called out.

"That's the signal," McGonagall said hurriedly as she rose from her seat. "Come on, Professor Flitwick."

Professor Moody set his hands on his staff, smiling with satisfaction as he watched the teachers hurry to Riley's body. _There we go, _he thought with satisfaction. _Now, it's up to you, Master. _He knew what would be going on at this very second within the graveyard that he had rigged the TriWizard Cup to send Harry Potter to, and hopefully, it would only be a matter of minutes before the Dark Lord was back to his former glory.

Aria waited several moments before Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick came out with Riley on a stretcher. Fear pierced Riley when she saw that Riley was on her back, blood draining fast and hard from her right shoulder. This was nothing like what Krum and Fleur had looked like. They'd just been unconscious. Riley looked like she was bleeding to death.

"Oh, no," Draco said worriedly, standing from where he was sitting and running down the stairs. He looked shocked, concerned and ready to vomit from horror as he stared at Riley's body, which was still bleeding profusely.

"Riley," Fred said as he saw Riley. He got to his feet and ran away from the audience, down the stairs and toward Riley.

"Move out of the way! Move out of the way!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed as she ran over, not wasting a second to get to Riley.

Riley was gasping for air, though the sound was more like shaky rasps. Her eyes were open, but the eyeballs were rolled back so that they were white, her throat filled with liquid as she tried to speak.

"_Riley!_" Aria exclaimed as she slid to her knees beside Riley.

"What was she bitten by?"

"A giant snake," Professor Flitwick.

"Poison," Madam Pomfrey said. She knelt down over Riley and began waving her wand over the wound. As she tried to heal it, Riley's body began to convulse.

"She's going into convulsions!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed. She pulled Riley's vest off, revealing a white tanktop that was covered in blood and a big hole in her right shoulder.

"Oh, no," Hermione said, grabbing at her mouth with one hand, and Ron's wrist with the other as she watched everyone run to Riley's side.

"Riley," Ginny whispered in horror from where she was standing beside George and Ron. George set a hand on her shoulder, preventing her from running down.

"What's going on?" Slater demanded, sounding both angry and panicked. He looked down at his student desperately, looking helpless for the first time in years as he demanded, "What's happened to her?"

"I'm not sure, Gregor," McGonagall admitted.

A moment later, Dumbledore rushed down to stand beside Slater and McGonagall, saying, "It seems as though she's been bitten by a Morardor Poisonbreath," he explained, sounding saddened.

"The worst to deal with," Madam Pomfrey said in disdain, still hovering over Riley's shoulder with her wand. Foam began to gather at the corners of Riley's mouth and she began gasping, unable to breathe.

"I've never seen anything like this, Albus," McGonagall said, setting a hand on her chest as she continued to look down at Riley, horrified. "What creatures did you put in that maze? I heard a werewolf, but this girl used Fiendfyre if I'm not mistaken."

"What?" Aria asked in alarm as she looked at McGonagall. "_Riley_ used Fiendfyre? That can't be."

"I'm afraid it is," Dumbledore said, nodding. "And something like that isn't easy on the body, not to mention the damage that she did to herself by transforming while in there. She drained her energy much quicker than she should have."

"Riley is _terrified _of Fiendfyre," Aria said in disbelief. "It's her worst fear of all."

"With good reason," Madam Pomfrey said angrily. "Werewolves, Morardor Poisonbreaths, dragons; you lot are insane. It's no wonder that children die in these tournaments."

A moment later, Riley's eyes shot wide open, her eyes back to normal, and she yelled in a hiss, "_Harry! Cedric! No!_" Madam Pomfrey grabbed Riley and shoved her back down to the ground, though she continued to fight it.

"_It's him! He did it!_" Riley said, flopping around in convulsions, her head turned and looking past Aria. Aria looked behind her and saw Moody trundling over, a displeased look on his face; in fact, he looked downright furious.

"_Stupefy!_" Moody snapped, pointing his wand at Riley. She instantly went still, her eyes still staring after him.

"What was that?" Slater yelled angrily as he glared at Moody, a look of absolute rage in the Headmaster's eyes.

"Aria?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Aria expectantly.

Aria stared at Riley in surprise and said, "She just called out for Harry and Cedric. She was telling them, 'no', and then she said..." She looked back at Moody, who was staring at Aria through narrowed eyes. There was a moment of hatred and confusion between them, and Aria wasn't sure what to say.

"Yes?" Dumbledore asked, pressing on, sensing that there was something else.

Aria shook her head. "It's nothing," she said, though she didn't believe her own words. She knew that something was wrong, but she wasn't about to accuse Moody just yet. She looked at Madam Pomfrey and asked, "Can you help her?"

"I'll do my best," Madam Pomfrey said uncertainly. "But she took some serious poison into her system, not to mention that she drained herself nearly all of her magical powers."

A moment later, Aria heard footsteps and turned her head to see Draco and Fred running over. She felt both relief and annoyance at seeing the two of them. _Like this is the best time to spread the testosterone_, she thought miserably and sarcastically.

"What's wrong?" Fred demanded.

"Why's she acting like that?" Draco agreed, looking down at Riley worriedly.

"Boys, get away from here or I won't be able to do anything!" Madam Pomfrey yelled. McGonagall led the boys away and began to explain what had happened.

Riley's eyes suddenly opened again and she whispered, "_No. No!_" But it came out in a hiss.

"What is it, Riley?" Aria asked, looking down at Riley. Dumbledore and Slater moved closer.

Riley shook her head and said, "_Harry, be strong_."

"What's wrong with Harry?" Aria asked.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked as he looked Riley in the eyes. "Riley, has something happened to Harry?"

"_He's with __him_," Riley whispered, her eyes closing momentarily as she shook her head in what seemed to be confusion. "_He's_..."

"Who's 'him'?" Aria asked, confused.

"The Cup," Riley whispered aloud in English. "I almost had it, but then the snake..."

"Riley, what's happened to Harry?" Dumbledore asked more clearly, the command in his voice.

Riley turned her head to look at Aria, her eyes filled with pain and desperation as she whispered in terror, "The blood... There's so much blood..."

"Whose blood?" Dumbledore asked, bending over to look Riley in the eyes.

"Harry's," Riley's whispered, narrowing her eyes in confusion and pain. "And Cedric..." Tears began to form at her eyes. "_Oh, Cedric_..."

"What's happened to Cedric?" Aria asked worriedly, but her panic was rising. Riley wasn't making any sense, and the words she _was _managing to get out only raised everyone's fears.

Dumbledore stood up and said, "I want this maze searched for Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory."

"Riley," Aria said in a clear command. "What's wrong with Cedric?"

"The Cup," Riley whispered, barely loud enough to be heard. "It's a... rtkey..."

"A portkey?" Aria asked in surprise. "The TriWizard Cup?"

Riley blinked and said, "They're gone, and Harry's blood..."

"What about his blood?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Riley with hope for answers.

Riley's eyes suddenly rolled back and her body went limp.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Aria exclaimed in panic, her voice raising an octave as terror consumed her body.

"Don't worry, she's alive," Madam Pomfrey explained. "She's just unconscious. It's good, because healing will be slow and painful for her.

Aria suddenly felt some presence, almost like a gust of wind. She turned her head and saw Harry hovering over a body, clutching to it and the TriWizard Cup tightly. Dumbledore walked over and crouched over him. He said, "Harry! _Harry_!"

Harry opened his eyes and released the Cup as he looked up at Dumbledore, tears running down his face. "He's back," Harry cried. "He's back. Voldemort."

Chills went through Aria's spine as she heard the next set of words, which came from Fudge.

"Diggory – he's dead!"

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A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!


	43. Chapter 41: In The Graveyard

A/N: I know that it says I've updated quite a bit since I originally ended this story, but that's because I've been going through and fixing the mistakes that I made before. Also, I've added to some areas that I think were a bit bare, and taking from others that were a little overkill. This chapter, for instance, was almost identical to the story; because someone asked for me to include this scene. Only later did they point out that they wanted Cedric to live, but it's too late for that. Anyway, I'm now adding to certain areas to make the story a little bit more mine, and not completely from out of the book.

This chapter's Author Note used to praise that I had made it over 4,000 hits, but by now, I've made over 36,000 hits! That truly makes me happy. Unquestionably, my HP series has been my post popular set of fanfics, a total of four about Riley O'Malley and then the prequel about this generation's parents, a story called Where It All Began. After I finish that story (most likely within the next couple of months, in time for summer) I'll begin on the sequel to these four stories, a story called Next Generation. I hope all of my readers enjoy this story and continue to read the others, right up through the end of Next Generation as it's brought to life. Anyway, feel free to Read and Review (R&R). Enjoy!

* * *

A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Forty-one: The Graveyard

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Harry felt his feet slam into the ground; his injured leg gave way, and he fell forward; his hand let go of the TriWizard Cup at last. He raised his head, trying to look around as he blinked through his concussion. "Where are we?" he managed to ask in confusion as he allowed Cedric to pull him to his feet. Both boys were thoroughly confused, their confusion growing even more as they got a good look at their surroundings for the first time.

They had left the Hogwarts grounds completely; they had obviously traveled miles – perhaps hundreds of miles – for even the mountains surrounding the castle were gone. They were standing instead in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the black outline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to their right. A hill rose above them to their left. Harry could just make out the outline of a fine old house on the hillside.

Cedric looked down at the TriWizard Cup, his eyes stretched wide with awe as he said aloud in a similar voice, "It's a Portkey." He glanced up at Harry and asked uncertainly, "Did anyone tell you the Cup was a Portkey?"

"Nope," said Harry. He was heading around the graveyard, trying to look for a way home, and to understand what was going on. It was completely silent here at the graveyard, filled with tombstones, darkness and smoke that made the place seem even more eerie than a normal graveyard. Harry had the horrible feeling that he already knew the answer to his next question, but he dared to ask it anyway as he turned around in circles to get a better look of the view around him. "Is this supposed to be part of the Task?"

"I dunno," said Cedric. He sounded slightly nervous. "Wands out, d'you reckon?"

"Yeah," Harry said halfheartedly as he reached for his wand and pulled it out. He was glad that Cedric had made the suggestion rather than making Harry, partly because Harry didn't want to seem like a coward, but more so because it meant that the eerie aura in the cemetery wasn't just part of Harry's imagination.

They pulled out their wands, both continuing to walk hesitantly throughout the graveyard in an attempt to get a better look at where they were. Harry kept looking around him, trying to find some sign that made sense out of what had happened. He had, yet again, the strange feeling that they were being watched; and if there was anything that Harry had learned after all of these years at Hogwarts, it was to trust his instincts.

"Something's coming," Harry said abruptly, clutching his wand more tightly than ever. He wished for the first time that Riley was there with him and Cedric, that she hadn't been so valiant as to stay behind and protect them. With her great sense of smell, she would have told him what was coming, how many of that something, and if it was a person. Not to mention that having someone of her talent around at a time like this would have been more than slightly comforting.

Squinting tensely through the darkness, they watched the figure drawing nearer, walking steadily toward them between the graves. Harry couldn't make out the face, but from the way it was walking and holding its arms, he could tell that it was carrying something. Whoever it was, he was short, and wearing a hooded cloak pulled up over his head to obscure his face, which Harry knew couldn't mean anything good. And – several paces nearer, the gap between them closing all the time – Harry saw that the thing in the person's arm looked like a baby... or was it merely a bundle of robes?"

Harry lowered his wand slightly and glanced sideways at Cedric. Cedric shot him a quizzical look, the kind that mirrored exactly what Harry was feeling. The difference was that Harry had dealt with Dark magic and wizards before, whereas Cedric had only been trained to deal with them; and if nothing else could be said about Harry's experiences, it was that there was a great deal of difference between theory and experience. They both turned back to watch the approaching figure. It was clear that there was something Dark about the creatures coming closer to them. It stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from them. For a second, Harry and Cedric and the short figure simply looked at one another.

And then, without warning Harry's scar exploded with pain. It was agony such as he had never felt in all his life; his wand slipped from his fingers as he put his hands over his face; his knees buckled; he was on the ground and he could see nothing at all; his head was about to split open.

From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, "_Kill the spare._"

Harry didn't have the chance to turn and look at who had spoken, but instead heard the sound of a wand swish before a loud command breached the air. "_Avada Kadavra!_"

A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, moving too fast for Harry to see, let alone prepare for. Harry heard a slight group, only for something heavy to fall to the ground beside him. Harry wanted to see what had happened, but the pain in his scar had reached such an all-time high that it was nearly impossible for him to manage to keep his eyes open. Even so, he managed to keep them opened to slits as he turned to see what had happened. Instantly, he felt the desire to vomit and cry all at the same time.

Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. For a moment of brief desperation, Harry hoped that he was silent because of his shock, or because he'd been Stunned. However, reality sunk in as he saw the glossy look in Cedric's eyes that only came from one inescapable truth: Cedric was dead.

All of a sudden, Harry was grateful that Riley _hadn't_ come.

For a second that contained an eternity, Harry stared into Cedric's face, at his open grey eyes, blank and expressionless as the windows of a deserted house, at his half-open mouth, which looked slightly surprised. And then, before Harry's mind had accepted what he was seeing, before he could feel anything but numb disbelief, he felt himself being pulled to his feet.

The short man in the cloak had put down his bundle, lit his wand, and was dragging Harry toward the marble headstone. Harry saw the name upon it flickering in the wandlight before he was forced around and slammed against it.

**Tom Riddle.**

The cloaked man was now conjuring tight cords around Harry, tying him from neck to ankles to the headstone. Harry could hear shallow, fast breathing from the depths of the hood; he struggled, and the main hit him – hit him with a hand that had a finger missing. And Harry realized who was under the hood.

It was Wormtail.

"You!" Harry exclaimed, his anger and need for vengeance overwhelming his senses. This was the man who had betrayed his parents, who had framed Sirius for crime, and then ran away like a coward when he was faced with the prospect of paying for his crimes. He was standing here, in front of Harry, but Harry never got the chance to fight.

Wormtail, who had finished conjuring ropes, did not reply; he was busy checking the tightness of the cords, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, fumbling over the knots. Once sure that Harry was bound so tightly to the headstone that he couldn't move an inch, Wormtail drew a length of some black material from the inside of his cloak and stuffed it roughly into Harry's mouth; then, without a word, he turned from Harry and hurried away. Harry couldn't make a sound, nor could he see where Wormtail had gone; he couldn't turn his head to see beyond the headstone; he could see only what was right in front of him.

Cedric's body was lying some twenty feet away. Some way beyond him, glinting in the starlight, lay the TriWizard Cup. Harry's wand was on the ground at Cedric's feet. The bundle of robes that Harry had thought was a baby was close by, at the foot of the grave. It seemed to be stirring fretfully. Harry watched it, and his scar seared with pain again... and he suddenly knew that he didn't want to see what was int hose robes... he didn't want that bundle opened...

He could hear noises at his feet. He looked down and saw a gigantic snake slithering through the grass, circling the headstone where he was tied. Wormtail's fast, wheezy breathing was growing louder again. It sounded as though he was forcing something heavy across the ground. Then he came back within Harry's range of vision, and Harry saw him pushing a stone cauldron to the foot of the grave. It was full of what seemed to be water – Harry could hear it slopping around – and it was larger than any cauldron Harry had ever used; a great stone belly large enough for a full-grown man to sit in.

The thing inside the bundle of robes on the ground was stirring more persistently, as though it was trying to free itself. Now Wormtail was busying himself at the bottom of the cauldron with a wand. Suddenly there were crackling flames beneath it. The large snake slithered away into the darkness.

The liquid in the cauldron seemed to heat very fast. The surface began not only to bubble, but to send out fiery sparks, as though it were on fire. Steam was thickening, blurring the outline of Wormtail tending the fire. The movement beneath the robes became more agitated. And Harry heard the high, cold voice again.

"_Hurry!_"

The whole surface of the water was alight with sparks now. It might have been encrusted with diamonds.

"It is ready, Master."

"_Now..._" said the cold voice.

Wormtail pulled open the robes on the ground, revealing what was inside them, and Harry let out a yell that was strangled in the wad of material blocking his mouth.

It was as though Wormtail had flipped over a stone and revealed something ugly, slimy and blind – but worse, a hundred times worse. The thing Wormtail had been carrying had the shape of a crouched human child, except that Harry had never seen anything less like a child. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face – no child alive ever had a face like that – flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes.

The thing seemed almost helpless; it raised its thin arms, put them around Wormtail's neck, and Wormtail lifted it. As he did, so, his hood fell back, and Harry saw the look of revulsion on Wormtail's weak, pale face in the firelight as he carried the creature to the rim of the cauldron. For one moment, Harry saw the evil, flat face illuminated in the sparks dancing on the surface of the potion. And then Wormtail lowered the creature into the cauldron; there was a hiss, and it vanished below the surface; Harry heard its frail body hit the bottom with a soft thud.

_Let it drown,_ Harry thought, his scar burning almost past endurance, _please... let it drown..._

Wormtail was speaking. His voice shook; he seemed frightened beyond wits. He raised his wand, closed his eyes, and spoke to the night.

"Bone of father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

The surface of the grave at Harry's feet cracked/ Horrified, Harry watched as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air at Wormtail's command and fell softly into the cauldron. The diamond surface of the water broke and hissed; it sent sparks in all directions and turned a vivid, poisonous-looking blue.

And now Wormtail was whimpering. He pulled a long, thin, shining silver dagger form inside his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs.

"Flesh – of the servant – w-willingly given – you will receive – your master."

He stretched his right hand out in front of him – the hand with the missing finger. He gripped the dagger very tightly in his left hand and swung it upward.

Harry realized what Wormtail was about to do a second before it happened – he closed his eyes as tightly as he could, but he could not block the scream that pierced the night, that went through Harry as though he had been stabbed with the dagger, too. He heard something fall to the ground, heard Wormtail's anguished panting, then a sickening splash, as something was dropped into the cauldron. Harry couldn't stand to look... but the potion had turned a burning red; the light of it shone through Harry's closed eyelids...

Wormtail was gasping and moaning with agony. Not until Harry felt Wormtail's anguished breath reach on his face did he realize that Wormtail was right in front of him.

"B-blood of the enemy... forcibly taken... you will... resurrect your foe."

Harry could do nothing to prevent it, he was tied too tightly... Squinting down, struggling hopelessly at the ropes binding him, he saw the shining silver dagger shaking Wormtail's remaining hand. He felt its point penetrate the crook of his right arm and blood seeping down the sleeve of his torn robes. Wormtail, still panting with pain, fumbled in his pocket for a glass vial and held it to Harry's cut, so that a dribble of blood fell into it.

He staggered back to the cauldron with Harry's blood. He poured it inside. The liquid within turned, instantly, a blinding white. Wormtail, his job done, dropped to his knees beside the cauldron, then slumped sideways and lay on the ground, cradling the bleeding stump of his arm, gasping and sobbing.

The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness. Nothing happened...

_Let it have drowned,_ Harry thought. _Let it have gone wrong..._

And then, suddenly, the sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished. A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, obliterating everything in front of Harry, so that he couldn't see Wormtail or Cedric or anything but vapor hanging in the air. _...It's gone wrong,_ he thought _... it's drowned... please... please let it be dead..._

But then, through the mist in front of him, he saw, with an icy surge of terror, the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside the cauldron.

"Robe me," said the high, cold voice from behind the steam, and Wormtail, sobbing and moaning, still cradling his mutilated arm, scrambled to pick up the black robes from the ground, got to his feet, reached up, and pulled them one-handed over his master's head.

The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry... and Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as snake's with slits for nostrils...

Lord Voldemort had risen again.

Voldemort looked away from Harry and began examining his own body. His hands were like large, pale spiders; his long white fingers caressed his own chest, his arms, his face; the red eyes, whose pupils, were slits, like a cat's, gleamed still more brightly through the darkness. He held up his hands and flexed the fingers, his expression rapt and exultant. He took not the slightest notice of Wormtail, who lay twitching and bleeding on the ground, nor of the great snake, which had slithered back into sight and was circling Harry again, hissing. Voldemort slipped one of those unnaturally long-fingered hands into a deep pocket and drew out a wand. He caressed it gently too; and then he raised it, and pointed it at Wormtail, who was lifted off the ground and thrown against the headstone where Harry was tied; he fell to the foot of it and lay there, crumpled up and crying. Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes upon Harry, laughing a high, cold, mirthless laugh.

Wormtail's robes were shining with blood now; he had wrapped the stump of his arm in them. "My Lord..," he choked. "My Lord... you promised... you did promise..."

"Hold out your arm," said Voldemort lazily.

"Oh Master... thank you, Master..."

He extended the bleeding stump, but Voldemort laughed again. "The other arm, Wormtail."

"Master, please... _please_..."

Voldemort bent down and pulled out Wormtail's left arm; he forced the sleeve of Wormtail's robes up past his elbow, and Harry saw something upon the skin there, something like a vivid red tattoo – a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth – the image that had appeared in the sky at the Quidditch World Cup: the Dark Mark. Voldemort examined it carefully, ignoring Wormtail's uncontrollable weeping.

"It is back," he said softly, "they will all have noticed it... and now, we shall see... now we shall know..."

He pressed his long white forefinger to the brand on Wormtail's arm.

The scar on Harry's forehead seared with a sharp pain again, and Wormtail let out a fresh howl; Voldemort removed his finger from Wormtail's mark, and Harry saw that it had turned jet black.

A look of cruel satisfaction on his face, Voldemort straightened up, threw back his head, and stared around at the dark graveyard. "How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?" he whispered, his gleaming red eyes fixed upon the stars. "And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?" He began to pace up and down before Harry and Wormtail, sweeping the graveyard all the while. After a minute or so, he looked down at Harry again, a cruel smile twisting his snakelike face. "You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father," he hissed softly. "A Muggle and a fool... very like your dear mother. But they both had their uses, did they not? Your mother tried to defend you as a child... and I killed my father, and see how useful he has provided himself, in death..."

Voldemort laughed again. Up and down he paced, looking all around him as he walked, and the snake continued to circle in the grass. "You see that house upon the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived here int his village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him what she was... He didn't like magic, my father... He left her and returned to his Muggle parents before I was even born, Potter, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage... but I vowed to find him... I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name... _Tom Riddle_..." Still he paced, his red eyes darting from grave to grave. "Listen to me, reliving family history..." he said quietly in obvious disdain and contempt, though it sounded as though he was cursing himself more than anyone else. He spat angrily, "Why, I am growing quite sentimental..." He turned around, a look of sick pleasure rising in his eyes as he sneered, "But look, Harry! My true family returns..."

Voldemort was right. They weren't alone any longer.

The air was suddenly full of the swishing of cloaks. Between graves, behind the yew tree, in every shadowy space, wizards were Apparating. All of them were hooded and masked. And one by one they moved forward... slowly, cautiously, as though they could hardly believe their eyes. Voldemort stood in silence, waiting for them. Then one of the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled toward Voldemort, and kissed the hem of his black robes.

"Master... Master..." he murmured.

The Death Eaters behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on his knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing up, forming a silent circle, which enclosed Tom Riddle's grave, Harry, Voldemort and the sobbing and twitching heap that was Wormtail. Yet they left gaps in the circle, as though waiting for more people. Voldemort, however, did not seem to expect more. He looked around at the hooded faces, and though there was no wind, a rustling seemed to run around the circle, as though it had shivered.

"Welcome, Death Eaters," said Voldemort quietly as he began to circle the group. "Thirteen years... thirteen years since last we met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday... We are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we?" He put back his terrible face and sniffed, his slit-like nostrils widening in a way that reminded Harry a lot of Riley when she was sniffing out the air. "I smell guilt," Voldemort continued. "There is a stench of guilt upon the air."

A second shiver ran around the circle, as though each member of it longed, but did not dare, to step back from him.

"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact – such prompt appearances! – and I ask myself... why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?"

No one spoke. No one moved except Wormtail, who was upon the ground, still sobbing over his bleeding arm.

"And I answer myself," whispered Voldemort, a look of anger and disgust in his eyes as he continued to look around. "They must have believed me broken. They thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, ignorance, and bewitchment... And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living?

"And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort... perhaps they now pay allegiance to another... perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore?"

At the mention of Dumbledore's name, the members of the circle stirred, and some muttered and shook their heads. Voldemort ignored them.

"It is a disappointment to me... I confess myself disappointed..."

One of the men suddenly flew himself forward, breaking the circle. Trembling from head to foot, he collapsed at Voldemort's feet. "Master!" he shrieked in panic and pain. "Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!"

Voldemort began to laugh. He raised his wand. "_Crucio!_"

The Death Eater on the ground writhed and shrieked; Harry was sure the sound must carry to the houses around... Let the police come, he thought desperately... anyone... anything...

Voldemort raised his wand. The tortured Death Eater lay flat upon the ground, gasping.

"Get up, Avery," said Voldemort softly. "Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years... I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?" He looked down at Wormtail, who continued to sob in pain from the fallen limb that still caused him pain. "You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes, Master," moaned Wormtail. "Please, Master... please..."

"Yet you returned me to my body," said Voldemort coolly, watching Wormtail sob on the ground. "Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me... and Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers."

Voldemort raised his wand again and whirled it around the air. A streak of what looked like molten silver hung shining in the wand's wake. Momentarily shapeless, it writhed and then formed itself into a gleaming replica of a human hand, bright as moonlight, which soared downward and fixed itself upon Wormtail's bleeding wrist. Wormtail's sobbing stopped abruptly. His breathing harsh and ragged, he raised his head and stared in disbelief at the silver hand, now attacked seamlessly to his arm, as though he were a dazzling glove. He flexed the shining fingers, then, trembling picked up a small twig on the ground and crushed it into power.

"My Lord," he whispered. "Master... it is beautiful... thank you... thank you..." He scrambled forward on his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes.

"May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail," Voldemort said in a haughty, superior tone.

"No, My Lord... never, My Lord..."

Wormtail stood up and took his place in the circle, staring at his powerful new hand, his face still shining with tears. Voldemort now approached the man on Wormtail's right. "Lucius, my slippery friend," he whispered, halting before him. "I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yet you never tried to find me, Lucius... Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun, I daresay... but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master?"

"My Lord, I was constantly on the alert," came Lucius Malfoy's voice swiftly from beneath the hood. "Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me–"

"And yet you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer?" said Voldemort lazily, and Malfoy stopped talking abruptly. "Yes, I know all about that, Lucius... You have disappointed me... I expect more faithful service in the future."

"Of course, My Lord, of course... You are merciful. Thank you..."

Voldemort moved on, and stopped, staring at the space – large enough for two people – that separated Malfoy and the next man. "The Lestranges should stand here," said Voldemort quietly, a distant look in his eyes. "But they are entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me... When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us... they are our natural allies... we will recall the banished giants... I shall have all my devoted servants returned to me, and an army of creatures whom all shall fear."

He walked on. Some of the Death Eaters he passed in silence, but he paused before others and spoke to them. "Macnair... destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic now, Wormtail tells me? You shall have better victims than that soon, Macnair. Lord Voldemort shall provide..."

"Thank you, Master... thank you," murmured Macnair.

"And here" – Voldemort moved on to the two largest hooded figures – "we have Crabbe... you will do better this time, will you not, Crabbe? And you, Goyle?"

They bowed clumsily, muttering dully.

"Yes, Mater..."

"We will, Master..."

Suddenly, Harry realized that the Crabbe and Goyle he knew weren't just stupid and spineless; it was hereditary.

"The same goes for you, Nott," said Voldemort quietly as he walked past a stooped figure in Mr. Goyle's shadow.

"My Lord, I prostate myself before you, I am your most faithful–"

"That will do," said Voldemort.

He had reached the largest gap of all, and he stood surveying it with his blank, red eyes, as though he could see people standing there. "And we have six missing Death Eaters... three dead in my service... One, too cowardly to return... he _will_ pay. One, who I believe has left me forever... he will be killed, of course... and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my service."

The Death Eaters stirred, and Harry saw their eyes dart sideways at one another through their masks.

"He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young friend arrived here tonight... Yes," said Voldemort, a grin curling his lipless mouth as the eyes of the circle flashed in Harry's direction. "Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my re-birthing party. One might go as far as to call him my guest of honor."

There was a silence. Then the Death Eaters to the right of Wormtail stepped forward, and Lucius Malfoy's voice spoke from under the mask. "Master, we crave to know... we beg you to tell us... how you have achieved this... this miracle... how you managed to return to us." His voice was filled with intrigue, but also confusion and desperation, as though he was clinging to the most valuable item in the world with his life.

"Ah, what a story it is, Lucius," said Voldemort. "And it begins – and ends – with my young friend here." He walked lazily over to stand next to Harry, so that the eyes of the whole circles were upon the two of them. The snake continued to circle. "You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?" Voldemort said softly, his red eyes upon Harry, whose scar began to burn so fiercely that he almost screamed in agony. "You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in the attempt to save him – and unwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not foreseen... I could not touch the boy." Voldemort raised one of his long white fingers and put it very close to Harry's cheek. "His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice... This is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it... but no matter, I can touch him now."

Harry felt the cold tip of the long white finger touch him, and he thought his head would burst with pain.

Voldemort laughed softly in his ear, then took the finger away and continued addressing the Death Eaters. "I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aah... pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost... but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know... I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal – to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one more of my experiments had worked... for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself... for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand... I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist... I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited... Surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me... one of them would come and perform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body... but I waited in vain..."

The shiver ran once more around the circle of listening Death Eaters.

Voldemort let the silence spiral horribly before continuing. "Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me. I sometimes inhabited animals – snakes, of course, being my preference – but I was little better off inside them than as pure spirit, for their bodies were ill adapted to perform magic... and my possession of them shortened their lives; none of them lasted long...

"Then... four years ago... the means of my return seemed assured. A wizard – young, foolish, and gullible – wandered across my path in the forest I had made my home. Oh, he seemed the very chance I had been dreaming of... for he was a teacher at Dumbledore's school... he was easy to bend to my will... he brought me back to this country, and after a while, I took possession of his body, to supervise him closely as he carried out my orders. But my plan failed. I did not manage to steal the Sorcerer's Stone. I was not to be assured immortal life. I was thwarted... thwarted, once again, by Harry Potter..."

Silence once more; nothing was stirring, not even the leaves on the yew tree. The Death Eaters were quite motionless, the glittering eyes in their masks fixed upon Voldemort, and upon Harry. Harry knew that he was talking about Professor Quirrel, the professor who had betrayed Dumbledore and Harry by turning slave for Voldemort. Harry had destroyed Quirrel at the end of his first year, after securing the Sorcerer's Stone and keeping it from Voldemort's dangerous grasp.

"The servant died when I left his body, and I was left weak as ever I had been," Voldemort continued with a sharp edge to his voice. "I returned to my hiding place far away, and I will not pretend to you that I didn't then fear that I might never regain my powers... Yes, that was perhaps my darkest hour... I could not hope that I would be sent another wizard to possess... and I had given up hope, now, that any of my Death Eaters cared what had become of me..."

One or two of the masked wizards in the circle moved uncomfortably, but Voldemort took no notice.

"And then, not even a year ago, when I had almost abandoned hope, it happened at last... a servant returned to me. Wormtail here, who had faked his own death to escape justice, was driven out of hiding by those he had once counted friends, and decided to return to his master. He sought me in the country where it had been rumored I was hiding... helped, of course, by the rats he met along the way. Wormtail has a curious affinity with rats, do you not, Wormtail? His filthy little friends told him there was a place, deep in an Albanian forest, that they avoided, where small animals like themselves had met their deaths by a dark shadow that possessed them...

"But his journey back to me was not smooth, was it, Wormtail? For, hungry one night, on the edge of the very forest where he had hoped to find me, he foolishly stopped at an inn for some food... and who should he meet there, but one Bertha Jorkins? A witch from the Ministry of Magic.

"Now see the way that fate favors Lord Voldemort. This might have been the end of Wormtail, and of my last hope for regeneration. But Wormtail – displaying a presence of mind I would never have expected from him – convinced Bertha Jorkins to accompany him on a nighttime stroll. He overpowered her... he brought her to me. And Bertha Jorkins, who might have ruined all, proved instead to be a gift beyond my wildest dreams... for – with a little persuasion – she became a veritable mine of information. She told me that the TriWizard Tournament would be played at Hogwarts this year. She told me that she knew of a faithful Death Eater who would be only too willing to help me, if I could only contact him. She told me many things... but the means I used to break the Memory Charm upon her were powerful, and when I had extracted all useful information from her, her mind and body were both damaged beyond repair. She had now served her purpose. I could not possess her. I disposed of her."

Voldemort smiled his terrible smile, his red eyes blank and pitiless. "Wormtail's body, of course, was ill adapted for possession, as all assumed him dead, and would attract far too much attention if noticed. However, he was the able-bodied servant I needed, and, poor wizard though he is, Wormtail was able to follow the instructions I gave him, which would return me to a rudimentary, weak body of my own, a body I would be able to inhabit while awaiting essential ingredients for true rebirth... a spell or two of my own invention... a little help from my dear Nagini," Voldemort's red eyes fell upon the continually circling snake, "a potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Nagini provided... I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough to travel.

"There was no hope of stealing the Sorcerer's Stone anymore, for I knew that Dumbledore would have seen to it that it was destroyed. But I _was_ willing to embrace mortal life again, before chasing immortality. I set my sighs lower... I would settle for my old body back again, and my old strength. I knew that to achieve this – it is an old piece of Dark Magic, the potion that revived me tonight – I would need three powerful ingredients. Well, one of them was already at hand, was it now, Wormtail? Flesh given by a servant... My father's bone, naturally, meant that we would have to come to here, where he was buried. But the blood of a foe... Wormtail would have had me used any wizard, would you not, Wormtail? Any wizard who hated me... as so many of them still do. But I knew the one I must use, if I was to rise again, more powerful than I had been when I had fallen. I wanted _Potter's_ blood. I wanted the blood of the one who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago... for the lingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins, too... But how to get at Harry Potter? For he has been better protected than I think even he knows, protected in ways devised by Dumbledore long ago, when it fell to him to arrange the boy's future. Dumbledore invoked an ancient magic, to ensure the boy's protection as long as he is in his relations' care. Not even I can touch him there... The, of course, there was the Quidditch World Cup... I thought his protection might be weaker there, away from his relations and Dumbledore, but I was not yet strong enough to attempt kidnap in the midst of a horde of Ministry wizards. And then, the boy would return to Hogwarts, where he is under the crooked nose of that Muggle-loving fool from morning until night. So how could I take him? Why... by using Bertha Jorkins's information, of course. Use my one faithful Death Eater, stationed at Hogwarts, to ensure that the boy's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire. Use my Death Eater to ensure that the boy won the tournament – that he touched the TriWizard Cup first – the cup which my Death Eater had turned into a Portkey, which would bring him here, beyond the reach of Dumbledore's help and protection, and into my waiting arms. It almost didn't make it in his hands, thanks to that meddlesome young witch, but in a movement of bravery and stupidity, she threw herself in between him and the snake. And here he is... the boy you all believed had been my downfall..." Voldemort moved slowly forward and turned to face Harry. He raised his wand, his voice filled with a cold edge that sounded like ice scraping across itself as he yelled, "_Crucio!_"

It was pain beyond anything Harry had ever experienced; his very bones were on fire; his head was surely splitting along his scar; his eyes were rolling madly in his head; he wanted it to end... to black out... to die...

And then it was gone. HE was hanging limply in the ropes binding him to the headstone of Voldemort's father, looking up into those bright red eyes through a kind of mist. The night was ringing with the sound of Death Eaters' laughter.

"You see, I think, how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could ever have been stronger than me," said Voldemort. "But I want there to me no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by a lucky chance. And I am now going to prove my power by killing him, here and now, in front of you all, when there is no Dumbledore to help him, and no mother to die for him. I will give him his chance. He will be allowed to fight, and you will be left in no doubt which of us is the stronger. Just a little longer, Nagini," he whispered, and the snake glided along the grass to where the Death Eaters stood watching. "Now, untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand."

Wormtail approached Harry, who scrambled to find his feet, to support his own weight before the ropes were untied. Wormtail raised his new silver hand, pulled out the wad of material gagging Harry, and then, with one swipe, cut through the bonds tying Harry to the gravestone.

There was a split second, perhaps, when Harry might have considered running for it, but his injured leg shook under him as he stood on the overgrown grave, as the Death Eaters closed ranks, forming a tighter circle around him and Voldemort, so that the gaps were the missing Death Eaters should have stood were filled. Wormtail walked out of the circle to the place where Cedric's body lay and returned with Harry's wand, which he thrust roughly into Harry's hand without looking at him. Then Wormtail resumed his place in the circle of Watching Death Eaters.

"You have been taught how to duel, Harry Potter?" said Voldemort softly, his red eyes glinting through the darkness.

At these words Harry remembered, as though from a former life, the dueling club at Hogwarts he had attended briefly two years ago... All he had learned there was the Disarming Spell, "Expelliarmus"... and what use would it be to deprive Voldemort of his wand, even if he could, we he was surrounded by Death Eaters, outnumbered by at least thirty to one? He had never learned anything that could possibly fit him for this. He knew he was facing the thing against which Moody had always warned... the Avada Kadavra curse whose only counter was a curse of equal unforgivable, curses Harry couldn't even dream of casting; – and Voldemort was right – his mother was not here to die for him this time... Neither was Riley, who had already shown her willingness to die for him several times. His friends weren't here to stand up for him anymore, or to sacrifice themselves in an attempt to protect him.

Harry was alone, and by all means, unprotected.

"We bow to each other, Harry." said Voldemort, bending a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned to Harry. "Come, the niceties must be observed... Dumbledore would like you to show manners... Bow to death, Harry..."

The Death Eaters were laughing again. Voldemort's lipless mouth was smiling. Harry did not bow. He was not going to let Voldemort play with him before killing him... he was not going to give him that satisfaction...

"I said, _bow_," Voldemort said, raising his wand – and Harry felt his spine curve as though a huge, invisible hand were bending him ruthlessly forward, and the Death Eaters laughed harder than ever. "Very good," said Voldemort softly, and as he raised his wand the pressure bearing down upon Harry lifted, too. "And now you face me, like a man... straight-backed and proud, the way your father died... And now – we duel."

Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus Curse. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was... White-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely going to burst with pain, he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in his life –

And then it stopped. Harry rolled over and scrambled to his feet; he was shaking uncontrollably as Wormtail had done when his hand had been cut off; he staggered sideways into the wall of watching Death Eaters, and the pushed him away, back toward Voldemort.

"A little break," said Voldemort, the slit-like nostrils dilating with excitement, "a little pause... That hurt, didn't it, Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

Harry didn't answer. He was going to die like Cedric, those pitiless red eyes were telling him so... he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it... but he wasn't going to play along. He wasn't going to obey Voldemort... he wasn't going to beg.

"I asked you whether you wanted me to do that again," said Voldemort more softly. "Answer me! _Imperio!_"

And Harry felt, for the third time in his life, the sensation that his mind had been wiped of all thought... Ah, it was bliss, not to think, it was as though he were floating, dreaming... _just answer no... say no... just answer no..._

I will not, said a stronger voice, in the back of his head, I won't answer.

_Just answer no..._

I won't do it, I won't say it...

_Just answer no..._

"I WON'T!"

And these words burst from Harry's mouth; they echoed through the graveyard, and the dream state was lifted as suddenly as though cold water had been thrown over him – back rushed the realization of where he was, and what he was facing...

"You won't?" said Voldemort quietly, and the Death Eaters were not laughing now. "You won't say no? Harry, obedience is a virtue I need to teach you before you die... I have to admit, I would have been intrigued if I had seen that friend of yours here rather than you, even if it would have been only a means to an end, like the boy that Wormtail killed. I understand that she has quite a bit of history with pain, and enduring great amounts of it. My Death Eater suggests that she might even be able to fight back, even if not forever. Still, since you are here, we must focus on teaching _you_ lessons. Perhaps another little dose of pain?"

Voldemort raised his wand, but this time Harry was ready; with the reflexes born of his Quidditch training, he flung himself sideways onto the ground; he rolled behind the marble headstone of Voldemort's father, and he heard it crack as the curse missed him.

"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Harry," said Voldemort's soft, cold voice, drawing nearer, as the Death Eaters laughed. "You cannot hide from me. Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean that you would prefer me to finish it now, Harry? Come out, Harry... come out and play, then... it will be quick... it might even be painless... I would not know... I have never died..."

Harry crouched behind the headstone and knew the end had come. There was no hope... no help to be had. And as he heard Voldemort draw nearer still, he knew only one thing, and it was beyond fear or reason: He was not going to die crouching here like a child playing hide-and-seek; he was not going to die kneeling at Voldemort's feet... he was going to die upright like his father, and he was going to die trying to defend himself, even if no defense was possible.

Before Voldemort could stick his snakelike face around the headstone, Harry stood up... he gripped his wand tightly in his hand, thrust it out in front of him, and threw himself around the headstone, facing Voldemort.

Voldemort was ready. As Harry shouted, "_Expelliarmus!_" Voldemort simultaneously cried, "_Avada Kedavra!_"

A jet of green light issued from Voldemort's wand just as a jet of red light blasted from Harry's – they met in mid-air – and suddenly Harry's wand was vibrating as though an electric charge were surging through it; his hand seized up around it; he couldn't have released it if he'd wanted to – and a narrow beam of light connected the two wands, neither red nor green, but bright, deep gold. Harry, following the beam with his astonished gaze, saw that Voldemort's long, white fingers too were gripping a wand that was shaking and vibrating.

And then – nothing could have prepared Harry for this – he felt his feet lift from the ground. He and Voldemort were both being raised into the air, their wands still connected by threat of shimmering golden light. They glided away from the tombstone of Voldemort's father and then came to rest on a patch of ground that was clear and free of graves... The Death Eaters were shouting; they were asking Voldemort for instructions; they were closing in, reforming the circle around Harry and Voldemort, the snake slithering at their heels, some of them drawing their wands –

The golden threat connecting Harry and Voldemort splintered; though the wands remained connected, a thousand more beams arced high over Harry and Voldemort, crisscrossing all around them, until they were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, a cage of light, beyond which the Death Eaters circled like jackals their cries strangely muffled now...

"Do nothing!" Voldemort shrieked to the Death Eaters, and Harry saw his red eyes wide with astonishment at what was happening, saw him fighting to break the thread of light still connecting his wand with Harry's; Harry held onto his wand more tightly, with both hands, and the golden thread remained unbroken. "Do nothing unless I command you!" Voldemort shouted to the Death Eaters.

And then an unearthly and beautiful sound filled the air... It was coming from every thread of the light-spun web vibrating around Harry and Voldemort. It was a sound Harry recognized, though he had heard it only once before in his life; phoenix song.

It was the sound of hope to Harry... the most beautiful and welcome thing he had ever heard in his life... He felt as though the song were inside him instead of just around him... It was the sound he connected with Dumbledore, and it was almost as though a friend were speaking in his ear...

Don't break the connection.

_I know,_ Harry told the music, _I know I mustn't_... but no sooner had he thought it, than the thing became much harder to do. His wand began to vibrate more powerfully than ever... and now the beam between him and Voldemort changed too... it was as though large beads of light were sliding up and down the thread connecting the wands – Harry felt his wand give a shudder under his hands as the light beads began to slide slowly and steadily his way... The direction of the beam's movement was now toward him, from Voldemort, and he felt his wand shudder angrily...

As the closest bead of light moved nearer to Harry's wand tip, the wood beneath his fingers grew so hot he feared it would burst into flame. The closer that bead moved, the harder Harry's wand vibrated; he was sure his wand would not survive contact with it; it felt as though it was about to shatter under his fingers–

He concentrated every last particle of his mind upon forcing the head back toward Voldemort, his ears full of phoenix song, his eyes furious, fixed... and slowly, very slowly, the beads quivered to a halt, and then, just as slowly, they began to move the other way... and it was Voldemort's wand that was vibrating extra-hard now... Voldemort who looked astonished, and almost fearful.

One of the beads of light was quivering, inches from the tip of Voldemort's wand. Harry didn't understand why he was doing it, didn't know what it might achieve... but he now concentrated as he had never done in his life on forcing that bead of light right back into Voldemort's wand... and slowly... very slowly... it moved along the golden thread... it trembled for a moment, and then it connected...

At once, Voldemort's wand began to emit echoing screams of pain... then – Voldemort's red eyes widened with shock – a dense, smoky hand flew out of the tip of it and vanished... the ghost of the hand he had made Wormtail... more shouts of pain... and then something much larger began to blossom from Voldemort's wand tip, a great, grayish something, that looked as though it were made of the solidest, densest smoke... It was a head... now a chest and arms... the torso of Cedric Diggory.

If ever Harry might have released his wand from shock, it would have been then, but instinct kept him clutching his wand tightly, so that the thread of golden light remained unbroken, even though the thick grey ghost of Cedric Diggory (_was_ it a ghost? It looked so solid) emerged in its entirety from the end of Voldemort's wand, as though it were squeezing itself out of a very narrow tunnel... and this shade of Cedric stood up, and looked up and down the golden thread of light, and spoke.

"Hold on, Harry," it said, its voice distant and yet so close...

Its voice was distant and echoing, Harry looked at Voldemort... his wide red eyes were still shocked... he had no more expected this than Harry had... and, very dimly, Harry heard the frightened yells of the Death Eaters, prowling around the edges of the golden dome.

More screams of pain from the wand... and then something else emerged from its tip... the dense shadow of a second head, quickly followed by arms and torso... an old man Harry had seen only in a dream was now pushing himself out of the end of the wand just as Cedric had done... and his ghost, or his shadow, or whatever it was, fell next to Cedric's, and surveyed Harry and Voldemort, and the golden web, and the connected wands, with mild surprise, leaning on his walking stick...

"He was a real wizard, then?" the old man said, his eyes were on Voldemort. "Killed me, that one did... You fight him, boy..."

But already, yet another head was emerging... and this head, grey as a smoky statue, was a woman's... Harry, both arms shaking now as he fought to keep his wand still, saw her drop to the ground and straighten up like the others, staring...

The shadow of Bertha Jorkins surveyed the battle before her with wide eyes.

"Don't let go, now!" she cried, and her voice echoed like Cedric's, as though from very far away. "Don't let him get you, Harry – don't let go!"

She and the other two shadowy figures began to pace around the inner walls of the golden web, while the Death Eaters flitted around the outside of it... and Voldemort's dead victims whispered as they circled the duelers, whispered words of encouragement to Harry, and hissed words Harry couldn't hear to Voldemort.

And now another head was emerging from the tip of Voldemort's wand... and Harry knew when he saw it who it would be... he knew, as though he had expected it from the moment when Cedric had appeared from the wand... knew, because the woman was the one he'd thought of more than any other tonight...

The smoky shadow of a young woman with long hair fell to the ground as Bertha had done, straightened up, and looked at him... and Harry, his arms shaking madly now, looked back into the ghostly face of his mother.

"Your father's coming..." she said quietly. "Hold on for your father... it will be all right... hold on..."

And he came... first his head, then his body... tall and untidy-haired like Harry, the smoky, shadowy form of James Potter blossomed from the end of Voldemort's wand, fell to the ground, and straightened like his wife. He walked close to Harry, looking down at him, and he spoke in the same distant, echoing voice as the others, but quietly, so that Voldemort, his face now livid with fear as his victims prowled around him, could not hear...

"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments... but we will give you time... you must get to the Portkey. It will return you to Hogwarts... do you understand, Harry?"

"Yes," Harry rasped, fighting now to keep a hold on his wand, which was slipping and sliding beneath his fingers.

"Harry..." whispered the figure of Cedric, "take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents..."

"I will," said Harry, his face screwed up with the effort of holding the wand.

"Do it now," whispered his father's voice, "be ready to run... do it now..."

"_NOW!_" Harry yelled; he didn't think he could have held on for another moment anyway – he pulled his wand upward with an almighty wrench, and the golden thread broken; the cage of light vanished, the phoenix song died – but the shadowy figures of Voldemort's victims did not disappear – they were closing in upon Voldemort, shielding Harry from his gaze.

And Harry ran as he had never run in his life, knocking two stunned Death Eaters aside as he passed; he zigzagged behind headstones, feeling their curses following him, hearing them hit the headstones – he was dodging curses and graves, pelting toward Cedric's body, no longer aware of the pain in his leg, his whole being concentrated on what he had to do –

"Stun him!" he heard Voldemort scream.

Ten feet from Cedric, Harry dived behind the marble angel to avoid the jets of red light and saw the tip of its wing shatter as the spells hit it. Gripping his wand more tightly, he dashed out from behind the angel –

"_Impendimenta!_" he bellowed, pointing his wand wildly over his shoulder at the Death Eaters running at him.

From a muffled yell, he thought he had stopped at least one of them, but there was no time to stop and look; he jumped over the cup and dived as he heard more wand blasts behind him; more jets of light flew over his head as he fell, stretching out his hand to grab Cedric's arm –

"Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!" Voldemort yelled furiously as he stormed forward, his wand held out in the obvious intent to kill.

Harry's hand had closed on Cedric's wrist; one tombstone stood between him and Voldemort, but Cedric was too heavy to carry, and the cup was out of reach –

Voldemort's red eyes flamed in the darkness. Harry saw his mouth curl into a deadly smirk, saw him raise his wand.

"_Accio!_" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at the TriWizard Cup. It flew into the air and soared toward him. Harry caught it by the handle –

Harry heard Voldemort's scream of fury at the same moment that he felt the jerk behind his navel that meant the Portkey had worked – it was speeding him away in a whirl of wind and color, and Cedric along with him... They were going back.

To Hogwarts and the traitor who had sent Harry to his death.

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A/N: THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! ONCE ALL CHAPTERS TO ALL BOOKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED, THIS SERIES WILL BE DELETED FROM THE WEBSITE! EXPECT IT TO BE GONE BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! IN THE MEANTIME, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN THIS SERIES, CHECK ONLINE FOR THE SILVERGATES TRILOGY, BY ALICE TREATY!


	44. Chapter 42: Who Are You?

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Forty-two: Who Are You?

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Harry allowed Moody to lead him into the office. He drank some liquid, barely able to breathe as he listened to Moody talk. "Voldemort's back, Harry? You're sure he's back? How did he do it?" Moody spoke so fast that Harry barely heard him speak through his own shock.

"He took some stuff from his father's grave, and from Wormtail, and me," Harry stammered, barely able to speak at all His head felt clearer, his scar wasn't burning so badly; he could now see Moody's face distinctly, even though the office was dark. He could still hear screaming and shouting from the distant Quidditch field.

"What did the Dark Lord take from you?" asked Moody.

"Blood," said Harry, raising his arm. His sleeve was ripped where Wormtail's dagger had torn it, and he tentatively showed it to Moody. He didn't like the idea of showing off his humiliation, but if there was anyone who would know what it meant, Harry guessed it would be Moody.

Moody let out his breath in a long, low hiss. He looked absolutely fascinated, completely intrigued and entranced by the cut on Harry's arm, as though he'd just come across the Holy Grail. He took Harry's arm in his hands, staring at it for several moments before releasing Harry's hand and looking into his eyes. He searched them as he demanded in a voice very close to a growl, "And the Death Eaters? They returned?"

"Yes," Harry stammered with a nod, confused as to how Moody seemed to guess every little detail that was currently floating throughout his head; memories that would be forever burned into Harry's brain, no matter how hard he tried to rid himself of them. "Loads of them..."

"How did he treat them?" Moody asked quietly. "Did he forgive them?"

Harry didn't get the chance to answer Moody's question. His eyes shot wide open as something raced to his mind, something that he'd only just remembered. He should have told Dumbledore, he should have said it straightaway, but only just remembered. He suddenly exclaimed in panic, "There's a Death Eater at Hogwarts! There's a Death Eater here – they put my name in the Goblet of Fire, they made sure I got through to the end -"

Harry tried to get up, but Moody pushed him back. "I know who the Death Eater is," he said quietly, his voice low.

"Karkaroff?" said Harry wildly. "Where is he? Have you got him? Is he locked up?"

"Karkaroff?" said Moody with an odd laugh. "Karkaroff fled tonight, fled when he felt the Dark Mark burn upon his arm. He betrayed too many faithful supporters of the Dark Lord to wish to meet them... but I doubt he will get far. The Dark Lord has ways of tracking his enemies."

"Karkaroff's _gone_?" Harry stammered, looking at Moody in confusion. "He ran away? But then – he didn't put my name in the goblet?"

"No," said Moody slowly. "No, he didn't. It was _I_ who did that."

Harry stared at Moody in silence for a moment that seemed to last an eternity. He'd heard Moody's words, but he couldn't believe that he'd actually heard them correctly. No. It couldn't be. "No, you didn't do that... you haven't have done..." Still, even as he tried with all of his might, Harry couldn't get the words out. They were too horrible.

"I assure you, I did," said Moody in a matter-of-fact tone, and his magical eye swung around and fixed upon the door, and Harry knew he was making sure there was no one outside it. At the same time, Moody drew out his wand and pointed it at Harry, "He forgave them, then?" he asked in surprise. "The Death Eaters who went free? The ones who escaped Azkaban?"

"_What?_" Harry exclaimed, looking at Moody and wondering if he was mad for the first time. He was looking at the wand Moody was pointing at him. This was a bad joke, it had to be.

"I asked you," said Moody quietly, "Whether he forgave the scum who never even went to look for him; those treacherous cowards who wouldn't even brace Azkaban for him. The faithless, worthless bits of filth that were brave enough to cavort in masks at the Quidditch World Cup, but fled at the sight of the Dark Mark when _I_ fired it into the sky."

"You fired... What are you talking about..."

"I told you, Harry... I told you. If there's one thing I hate more than any other, it's a Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on my master when he needed them most. I expected him to punish them. I expected him to torture them. Tell me he hurt them, Harry..." Moody's face was suddenly lit with an insane smile. "Tell me he told them that I, I alone remained faithful... prepared to risk everything to deliver to him the one thing that he wanted above all... _you_."

Aria paced outside, having the strangest feeling that something was going on between Moody and Harry that shouldn't be. Outside, everyone was screaming and crying over Cedric, who Aria had cried over, but now there was something else that plagued at her, a gnawing feeling of discomfort. She looked over at Dumbledore, who was standing outside the door, looking deep in thought.

"Professor," Aria said as she walked over.

Dumbledore looked up at Aria and asked gently, "Yes, Miss Hardwick?"

"I have something I want to tell you," Aria said awkwardly. "Something that Riley said in Parstletongue, but I wasn't willing to tell you earlier because I didn't understand it. Now, I think that I do."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes suspiciously, his voice growing serious as he asked, "What is it?"

"So what could I do? Feed you more information from another innocent source. You told me at the Yule Ball a house-elf called Dobby had given you a Christmas present. I called the elf to the staffroom to collect some robes for cleaning. I staged a loud conversation with Professor McGonagall about the hostages who had been taken, and whether Potter would think to use gillyweed. And your little elf friend ran straight to Snape's office and then hurried to find you..."

Moody's wand was still pointing directly at Harry's heart. Over his shoulder, foggy shapes were moving in the Foe-Glass on the wall. "You were so long in that lake, Potter, I thought you had drowned. But luckily, Dumbledore took your idiocy for nobility, and marked you high for it. I found myself in remarkably good shape, even after your incident in the maze with that girlfriend of yours.

"You had an easier time of it than you should have in that maze tonight, of course," Moody sneered in obvious contempt. "I was patrolling around it, able to see through the outer hedges, able to curse many obstacles out of your way. I stunned Fleur Delacour as she passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum, so that he would finish Diggory and leave your path to the Cup clear. Unfortunately, that bitch, O'Malley, made her way to the Cup first, and stopped Krum from killing Diggory like I'd intended."

"_Riley!_" Harry exclaimed, suddenly remembering his friend. "Where is she? What-"

"She's alive, by some miracle," Moody grunted distastefully. "I wish she'd died, though," he added in a growl as his hand holding the wand trembled in anger. "All year, she's given me funny looks, refused to call me 'Professor' or even 'Moody'. Seemed to know the truth, she did; knew that I was up to no good. She may not have known who I really am or exactly what I was up to, but she definitely knew that something wasn't right. Should have known she'd seen right through me; it's in her blood. With parents like hers, I shouldn't have been surprise. I should have been more prepared. I have only myself to blame for that. I wasn't nearly prepared enough when this year began, because I wasn't prepared for the likes of the O'Malley dynasty to return to this school ever again. I had hoped that the Dark Lord had killed that pest of a family off years ago. Guess not." Before Harry could question him on that last statement, Moody went on to say, "Would have been able to make your path a lot easier tonight if it weren't for that meddling _bitch_. Should have killed her right away, at the beginning of this year, but I've gotten soft in recent years; went for the pain instead of the kill. That boggart she faced showed me her fear – yes, it did – and I used it to my advantage."

"_You _set the Gryffindor tower on fire and wrote the message," Harry said, his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Damn right, I did," Moody agreed with a confident and smug sneer. "I also threw that ring that I stole from her mother years ago into her path. I wanted her to fall into the Black Penetro so that she would have nightmares of what those meddling parents of hers went through. It was all bogus, of course, but it did the trick; for weeks, she was thrown off of her game, so obsessed with finding out the truth that she couldn't concentrate properly, on me or the Tournament. I stole that ring from Helen because it protected her. I didn't think that Helen needed any more protection than she naturally had; wanted to give the people in Slytherin a fighting chance. However, when I saw just how strong her daughter was, I decided to take a chance. It's not like _she_ knows how to fully utilize the capabilities of that ring. Wanted to scare that girl, I did. Succeeded at it, too. Didn't think she'd overcome her fear and use it against me. Somehow, she knew that it was the only threat to the Marardor Poisonbreath. _That's _why I set it loose in there. Had it not shown up exactly when it did, she would have taken the Cup. She was only a second away from grabbing it, and then the Dark Lord never would have risen."

"You tried to _kill _her," Harry said, suddenly feeling contempt for the man standing in front of him; a man that Harry had respected greatly, but who was finally revealing his true colors. It wasn't until now that Harry could actually imagine himself strangling this man, let alone killing him, for having attempted to kill one of his friends.

Moody snorted and said with dislike, "Devious little witch was stronger than I expected; smarter, too. Parstlemouth, Animagus... never would have guessed it to look at her. Turns out that she's just like her mother. Hmph... Knew _that _witch in her day, not that yer friend is at her level. _Yet_. I thought that if I played on her fears enough, she would eventually crumble and get out of my way, but she proved herself stronger – both physically and mentally – than I gave her credit for. When it came down to it, yer friend's friends are more important than even her deepest fears. I spent most of my time following her around, trying to stop her from getting the Cup. The snake, the werewolf, even draining her energy right from her... All my attempts to pull her out of the race, but she kept at it. Even the Dark Lord was frustrated with her persistence. If she had put up much more of a fight, I might have just seen to it that she _couldn't_ get in my way anymore," he added with a malicious smirk.

"_Why?_" Harry asked in disbelief, sickened by what he was hearing, and yet grateful that Riley had proven to be so much stronger than this man had presumed. Anyone else would have fallen for his traps; and most likely died.

"Because _you _were the one he needed," Moody sneered, getting right into Harry's face, not moving the wand an inch. "Don't you get it, Harry? If she'd grabbed that Cup instead of you, she would have shown up in that graveyard; not you. I don't know if she would have beaten Wormtail or not, but it was _your _blood the Dark Lord needed to rise again, not hers; _yours_!"

Harry stared at Moody and said in disbelief, "_You're mad!_"

"Mad, am I?" said Moody, his voice rising uncontrollably. "We'll see! We'll see who's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back, Harry Potter; you did not conquer him – and now – I conquer you!"

Moody raised his wand. He opened his mouth; Harry plunged his own hand into his robes.

"_Stupefy_!"


	45. Chapter 43: Goodbye To You

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

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Chapter Forty-three: Good-Bye To You

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Cedric Diggory was the topic of discussion for the next several days, but Riley knew that it was only the beginning. Everyone was talking about him, about how well he'd done in the Tournament, about how great of a guy he was, even the kids who weren't from Hogwarts. One week after the Fourth task, Riley's wounds were still healing, but she didn't mind. Compared to Cedric's death, and everything that Harry had gone through, Riley was more than happy to take her wounds with a smile; that is, she would if she could muster one. Right now, she was just too exhausted and grief-stricken to even try.

Riley snapped her trunk shut just as Aria walked over, leading her own trunk. Both girls were wearing their school's robes, but not their cloaks. It wasn't as cold as it had been when they'd arrived, but now it was time to leave. Riley lowered her head in exhaustion as she closed the trunk, and Aria asked wearily, "You ready?"

"Yeah," Riley sighed, raising her head and looking forward.

"You holdin' up okay?" Aria asked worriedly.

"No," Riley admitted, and then turned her head to look back at Aria, her eyes red and puffy from having cried earlier. "But I'll be okay; in time."

Riley stood up and hugged Aria, who said nothing in response, which was exactly what Riley needed at the moment. Diggory's death had been hard on all of the Champions. They hadn't been extremely close friends, but Riley had grown to admire Cedric during the past eight months, and losing him had been like losing a friend. That, and the knowledge that she could have easily gone in with Harry and Cedric haunted Riley every minute of the day, and she feared that it always would. She'd told Harry to go on, that he was meant to finish, and because of that, Voldemort had the blood that he needed in order to come back, Cedric was dead, and Barty Crouch had been discovered as pretending to be Alistor Moody. Riley _knew_ that it wasn't her fault, but she didn't _believe_ it. She couldn't, not when she knew that if she had left that snake and Boggart to Harry, she would have reached the cup first, and Cedric would be alive, and Voldemort gone. Riley knew that she probably would have died, that there was very little possibility of her having survived a fight against the Death Eaters, but she would have preferred that over the feelings she felt now. She couldn't be sure about any of it. She could get past it, not now anyways.

Hermione and Ginny walked over, both girls looking sad and regretful, but for more than one reason. "I can't believe you two are leaving," Ginny said, almost wailing.

"It's time," Riley said in a voice barely above a whisper as she stepped back from Aria, setting her hands at her side. "Slater thinks that with everything that's happened, with all that you guys have yet to do before the year's up, it's best that we leave now. The tournament is over. I got second place, and now, we're done. Besides," she said emptily as her eyes grew distant. "We've caused enough damage around here for a lifetime; especially me."

"It's not your fault," Ginny insisted.

"Right," Riley said halfheartedly. "Maybe, someday, I'll actually convince myself of that."

"I'm going to miss you two," Hermione said sincerely before Ginny could argue any further. "In spite of everything, it felt like you two really belonged here; like you were one of us."

"I know," Aria said, voicing Riley's thoughts. She added, "It felt like that to us, too."

"Write us," Ginny said, walking forward and hugging both girls.

"Ya," Riley said as she hugged Ginny and Hermione, not knowing what else to say.

There was nothing left to say. It was time to go home, and soon they'd be leaving everyone behind. Riley had known that this day would come, but somehow, now that the day finally had, she couldn't believe it. She didn't want for it to end, but at the same time, all she wanted was to get away from all of this, from Cedric's death and from people.

The girls made their way down to the common room, where all of the Gryffindors who were waiting to say good-bye were standing. Angelina, Jordan, George, Ron, Harry stood by the fireplace, all looking solemn, but none looked more than Harry, his face reflecting what Riley felt on the inside.

Riley walked over and hit fists with Jordan and said, "Keep up the jokes for me next year, all right?"

"No problem," Jordan said as he managed a small smile. "Thanks for the help this year, with homework and everything."

Riley walked up to George and hugged him. He hugged her back, only for Riley to whisper, "Take it easy on Aria." As Riley pulled back, she saw George blink in understanding before turning to Aria. Riley walked over to Ron and shook hands with him, since it would have been awkward to hug Ron unless one was his sibling, best friend or Hermione. (A/N:^^) Riley turned to Angelina and hit fists (up and down motion, just like with George) with the Sixth Year.

"Keep up the good Quidditch game," Angelina said, forcing a smile. "If you were at Hogwarts, you'd make one hell of a player."

"Thanks for the compliment," Riley said, and then nodded to Harry. "Make sure that these guys stay in good shape next year." It was common knowledge that Angelina had been chosen as the next year's Captain, nominated by their present Captain and Dumbledore.

"I'll do my best," Angelina laughed and promised.

Finally, Riley turned to Harry. As they looked at one another, Riley knew that she didn't need to say anything. She walked up and hugged Harry, only to whisper, "Stay strong, Harry. You'll need it. With Voldemort back -" she ignored the flinching of her friends from all around her "- you'll need to be stronger than ever. And if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'm only 3,500 miles and a day's flight for Hedwig away."

"Yeah," Harry muttered in a similarly empty voice, though his eyes said everything that she needed to know in order to feel his desire to have her around longer. "You, too."

Riley backed up and looked around, looking for a specific person. When she didn't find him, she asked in surprise, "Where's Fred?"

George, who was hugging Aria intently, and getting the same intensity back from Aria, stood up straight and looked around, frowning as he eyes fell back on Riley. "I don't know. Must be out somewhere."

"He must not want to say good-bye," Aria said sadly, voicing Riley's thoughts.

Riley frowned as she looked around. As badly as she didn't want to say good-bye, not saying good-bye to Fred seemed ten times worse. Still, she had no idea of where to even begin to look for him, the master of hiding.

Riley grabbed her trunk and began to make her way into the hallway with Aria. They walked down the hallway, and Riley was surprised to see Draco standing a ways down, his back and one foot against the wall, his arms folded as he looked down at the floor. Hearing them walk, he looked up with a blank expression, but said nothing.

Riley and Aria stopped when they were about five feet away from Draco, only for Riley to say, "Aria, can you go on ahead and tell the others that I'll be there soon?"

Aria looked between the two, then nodded and went on down the hallway, not saying a word. Once she was gone, Draco stood up and faced Riley, saying, "So, this is it, huh?"

"We knew it was coming," Riley said simply.

"And here it is," Draco said, shrugging carelessly. He hesitated, and then asked through narrowed eyes, "Did I ever stand a chance?" Riley looked taken by surprise, and Draco went on to say, "If we weren't 3,500 miles apart, would I have stood a chance?"

Riley hesitated, thinking about it for a minute before saying sincerely, "Yes, Draco, you would have had a chance."

Draco hesitated before walking over, his gaze calm and serene as he slipped a hand onto Riley's neck and leaned over to kiss her. Caught by both surprise and alarm, Riley didn't respond for a moment, before she accepted the kiss and kissed back; somehow caught up in the moment and unable to do anything else. It didn't last for more than a few seconds before Draco pulled back and said quietly, "That's for good-bye."

Riley looked up at Draco and smiled slightly as she said, "I know."

Draco pulled back and began to walk away, saying over his shoulder, "Write and mail me by owl."

"But I don't have an owl," Riley argued, narrowing her eyes at him in confusion. He knew that she didn't have an owl, and she doubted he knew how to mail via postal service.

Draco turned around and walked backwards, his hands in his pant pockets and a smirk on his face as he asked in a taunting, knowing voice, "You sure about that?" He turned around, laughing as he continued to walk away, not missing a step.

Riley stared at Draco in surprise and disbelief, only to say aloud, "He bought me an owl?" She rolled her eyes and groaned as she turned to walk away, dragging her trunk with her.

Riley made her way downstairs, stopping when she met up with the other Silvergates kids. "Are we going now?" Riley asked, wanting to get as far away from Hogwarts as possible.

"We're still waiting for Aaron, Chris and Slater," Aria explained. "Slater's with Dumbledore, so it could be a little while."

Riley looked around the halls of Hogwarts, thinking, _I want so badly to get out of here, but I have to admit that this place did feel kind of like home, the first home I'd ever really known_. All of a sudden, a smell rushed over her senses, and she felt a spring of alarm. A thought suddenly popping into her head, she turned to Aria and said, "I'll be right back." With that she ran off, not saying another word.

Aria rolled her eyes in annoyance. _Keeping that girl in one place is like nailing jello to a wall: downright impossible. Where's she going __**now**__?_

Riley ran out onto the Quidditch field, catching her breath as she came to an abrupt stop. She felt relief when she saw Fred standing on the field, looking out. Glad at confirming her suspicions, Riley also became exceedingly nervous as she walked over toward him.

As Riley drew closer, Fred said without turning around, "So, you found me."

Riley raised an eyebrow and asked, "How'd you know it was me?"

"Only _you_ would know to find me out here at a time like this," Fred said, and then turned around. He faced her, his expression blank as he shrugged and asked, "What do you want, Riley?"

"You weren't going to say good-bye," Riley said, feeling sad but not showing it.

"Does it mean that much to you?" Fred asked blankly.

"Yes, it does," Riley admitted, her expression filled with sadness and longing.

"_Why?_" Fred asked through narrowed eyes. "You're leaving; going home to America, and you won't be coming back. You've known that this day was coming all year. We both have. After everything that's happened, I would think that you couldn't get out of here quickly enough. Why does it matter whether I say goodbye now?"

Riley hesitated, and then said blankly, "I already lost one friend here. I don't want to lose another."

Fred's gaze turned to confusion for a moment, and then he walked forward, wrapping his arms around Riley's shoulders. She hugged him back, burying her face in his shoulder. Fred closed his eyes as he leaned his head against hers. He struggled to find the strength to speak at all as he whispered, "I don't want to say good-bye."

"I know," Riley whispered, trying hard to speak without stammering. "Maybe now, things will go back to normal for you guys, though."

"Things will never be normal again," Fred said simply, thinking to himself that things had _never_ been normal, "For _any _of us."

Riley pulled her head back, not looking up at him. She closed her eyes, trying hard not to flinch as she felt him lean over and kiss her on the forehead. She then realized just how tired she was, and how overwhelmed she felt.

"Write me?" Fred whispered, his forehead pressed against hers.

"By owl," Riley promised. "Just as soon as I get back."

Fred hesitated, fighting every instinct in his body. In a moment of either brilliance or stupidity, he whispered, "Go."

Riley didn't hesitate to back away and run off, leaving Fred alone on the field, setting his arms in his pockets as he watched her run away. Riley ran down the hallways and back to the main hall, where everyone from Silvergates was waiting.

Aria turned her head at the sound of Riley's footsteps, her eyes narrowing in alarm. "Riley?" she asked in confusion, knowing the look on Riley's face.

Riley looked around desperately, and Aria stared walking toward her. Riley ran right up to Aria and hugged her. Aria didn't even have to ask what was wrong; she knew it by the look on Riley's face, almost being in tears. Aria hugged Riley back, closing her eyes to stop her own tears. She was feeling it, too, exactly what Riley was feeling now.

Fred heard a rumbling sound and looked up at the sky to see a black cloud begin to float away, and right away, he knew who it was; that the Silvergates students were leaving. He slowly turned around, looking over his shoulder as he watched the black cloud grow smaller and smaller as it grew more and more distant by the second. As he watched it drift further from sight, he felt tears well in his eyes, his voice barely above a whisper as he said, "Bye."


End file.
